Chamomile Lawn

I've recently planted a Chamomile Lawn, and thought I'd share the ââ?¬Å?experienceââ?¬Â since I found little on it when searching. Not sure if this should be in the projects section, admin please feel free to move it!

Quite a lot of yak, so feel free to ignore and just look at the pretty pictures spread over two posts!

I've had a problem for the last two summers (since moving in) with weeds in the front. Actually they were perennials that the previous owner had sown many years ago, and were now coming up through the aggregate path/ring in the front. I picked off some stones to discover they were laid on black binbags and weeds were now starting to come through, if I didn't do something about it, I would end up with a well drained weed patch.

I thought about putting down a proper membrane and different coloured aggregates in patterns for interest, but that was vetoed as there's enough "hard-landscape" with the tarmac drive. I thought about turf, but the layout would have been horrible to mow, and edging would have taken 30 mins each time. I thought about abandoning the path completely and simply having one area of shrubs and flowers, but I quite liked the layout I'd inherited.

So on to plan D, the Chamomile which I've been thinking about for several years, but haven't had the right space to do it. This seemed perfect. Chamomile tolerates dry better than lawn - and the neighbours lawn goes brown each year. It is not hard wearing, but being in the front only I would walking on it. I needed something that didn't require mowing, and apparently this needs it twice a year at most.

My first idea was to use seeds. They all germinated and grew and then I realised that by definition if it was sown by seed then it must be the flowering type - not what I wanted since that did need clipping and tending. (Later I planted some of these in a cleared area at the back - the slugs ate through 80 young plants in a week!)

Instead I needed the non-flowering C.Treneague which sends out shoots and plants itself wherever there's a spot. Not something you can grow yourself. It cost �£35 for every 100 plants, and at 13sq.yds I needed 450. That was planting 6" apart, I could have opted for a quicker lawn at 3" but I felt the whole project was a bit of an expensive gamble and I didn't need to throw even more money at it. It would cost �£158 in plants against �£52 in lawn (generously allowing 17sq.yds for offcuts).

First I had to remove 1.5 ton aggregate (which is now over the back fence and I use for drainage in pots!), then turn over the soil to 8" deep and make it level(ish), then leave it empty for 6 weeks to ensure no perennial weeds remained. You can�t use a lawn weedkiller as it would kill the Chamomile! Once planted, it all has to be weeded by hand. Grass must also be removed as it will overrun the Chamomile.

Here it is after 6 weeks empty.



By removing the stone I had removed 1.5" of height. Well that was fine because the soil looked poor and exhausted. I talked to the Chamomile suppliers who advised the ground should be well drained and fertile though not overly so, or the plants become leggy. So I added Vitax Q4, well rotted stable manure, and some grit, which raised it back to the right height.



I then went on holiday for a week, and my neighbour took delivery of 450 plants the day before I returned. I didn't know what to expect, but was almost a little disappointed to see a couple of 10" cube cardboard boxes. Doh! Obviously they wouldn't all come in pots!!! They were of course bare root... and serious roots at that!



They looked like little squids!



I used a line marked every 6" and with my dibber proceeded to make 450 holes. I laid out batches of plants on the drive and wet them.



Then sitting on a board proceeded to plant them out...



...but having lost 2 hrs at the start of the day due to other commitments I didn't get finished that night...



Before going to bed I placed some netting over the plants to protect from cats and foxes - not sure if they would be interested or not, but I figured 15 mins netting was a decent insurance premium for a days work. As it happens, I don�t think the animals have been at all interested either way, and I removed it after 4 weeks, once the plants seems a good size.

Here was the finished article at 11am next day.



I calculated that I�d shifted around 15 tonnes of stone and soil during the project, but the backbreaking part was the planting. Because I was on a board and reaching over to plant I was putting a lot of strain on my back and muscles. So, never again!

 

And here for comparison are the following 8 weeks worth of growth, the last one taken this weekend.

Week 1 - Not much change.



Week 2 - The shaded area (not shown) grew, and I lost my first plant. A couple of dandelions were found and removed.



Week 3 ââ?¬â?? Lose a second plant, but the first plant is showing signs of regrowth!



Week 4 ââ?¬â?? Removed netting.



Week 5 ââ?¬â?? Handweeded and raked over again. Second failed plant is also growing back.



Week 6 ââ?¬â?? Some plants already shooting and looking to root.



Week 7 ââ?¬â?? Started to walk on it.



Week 8 ââ?¬â?? This weekend.



Now Iâ��ll start walking on it more regularly in order to push the shoots into the ground, and in late Autumn Iâ��ll put �¼â� of topsoil or lawn-sand over it all to help them root.

In the end I�m not sure exactly how many I did plant, but I was left with 75 spares. I�ve put those aside in troughs and I�ll keep them to one side to replace any failures over winter.

 

Good job O B looks good and no doubt smells divine.

 

brilliant loved looking at the step by step pics welldone looks great

 

Wow thats really impressive! It sounded very disheartening when you were showing the seedlings you had recieved. Looks really strong and healthy now

 

A very impressive project Oogie,don't think I have ever seen one before..........A lot of work and patience,but a truly unique piece of work...Well done.

 

I am certainly impressed, OogieBoogie. Did the movie have any influence?

Camomile and lemon-scented sage planted to walk on is heaven and both can take heavy traffic.

Lovely design of the garden and nice colours.

 

Thanks for your kind words. I was influenced by a raised herb garden when I was a teenager. I wasn't into gardening but my grandparents took me (no idea where it was). The first plant I remember which made an impression was a beautiful red Bergamot (Monarda) which had a wonderful scent - yet I still haven't planted one! Then there was a 2' x 1' patch of Chamomile which again had a great scent.

The film reminded me of it, and for the last few years I've been looking for somewhere to plant it. I think I've done it to test myself!