My New Chamomile Lawn
 

I was searching for some advice on maintaining my little chamomile lawn and came across all kinds of conflicting information - so I thought I'd post a progress report and see what help I'd receive.

I have a lawn of about 9 sq metres next to a pond which I planted last year with little plants grown from a few packets of seed (from Chilterns). It was quite late in the summer by the time they were ready to go in, but they survived the winter and are now growing happily.

There are still gaps between the plants and weeding is a problem. I also have overhanging trees near the site which produce all kinds of debris - the pine needles are a particular nuisance. The slight tackiness of the plants makes removal a bit tricky. I was thinking of giving it more protection in the autumn - a net wasn't enough - a polythene canopy for a few weeks perhaps?

The other issue is the edge next to the pond. I was told the lawn wouldn't like getting too damp so I'm experimenting with plants don't mind getting their feet wet, but haven't yet found any that look good next to the chamomile - any ideas?

Sue H

I didn't like to ask too many questions in my first post - but perhaps I could add a few as there has been no response yet.

I have read that chamomile lawns don't need to be cut - is this true? I tried chopping some of my little plants last summer to see if they would thicken up a bit. They looked like a whole orchestra of Nigel Kennedys when they first went in, but have recovered without harm. Trouble is - the old leaves that flop down into the gaps go an unsightly yellow - could this be avoided by cutting?

And how much tread will the lawn actually endure? I'm almost afraid to walk on it which makes weeding even more difficult - and I can't imagine keeping the impatient husband off for much longer.

More importantly - will the newts that crawl through the lawn when they are leaving the pond in summer, be ok? I have this horrible image of finding them strangled by the sticky tendrils!

Sue

Progress

I'm starting to be able to answer some of my own questions - and as people seem to keep reading this, perhaps they are also searching for answers!

The gaps are still there - they were caused when I neglected to remove a few large leaves in the autumn. There are also gaps at the edges where the protective netting settled down a bit.

I've decided to grow some more plants to plug those areas.

I've also discovered that any flattening which occurs as a result of walking on the lawn, picks up overnight - probably more quickly than long grass.

Weeding has become easier - and its quite enjoyable as the scent is stronger when the plants are disturbed.