'Sun' headline. 'Practical Gardening' post.

I know I'll never get a striped English croquet lawn in southern Abruzzo (then again, I never had one in England), but are there strains of 'lawn' grass available that'll take a scorching summer - and an average bit of wear/tear and not much water - and still stay reasonably green ?

And is turf available in Italy - or is it a case of sowing seed ?

Can't help,I'm afraid as I'm only good at growing weed... er, I mean weeds and moss instead of lawn.
The way the climate is changing perhaps you should plant cactii?:-)

DeeBee, you're probably better off with one of the native grasses. Friends of ours, near Cortona, trod the lawn path, to manufacture a metaphor, and wasted their time. Baking sun and half an inch of snow conspired to produce an expanse of bare earth. They seeded with native grass and now they grizzle about having to mow the stuff. Some people.

quote:

Originally posted by Graeme:
They seeded with native grass and now they grizzle about having to mow the stuff. Some people.

Does this native grass have a name ?

(And any excuse to buy some cool petrol-driven mower...)

I'm sure it has but I wouldn't have a clue. Slip down to your local agricolo.

And make sure you get a ride-on. Great for chasing away unwanted guests.

Ciao, DeeBee. My husband and I tried for several years to grow some wonderful grass here and never really succeeded. Tried many different brands...for sun, shade, drought-resistant, etc, and we fertilized like mad. Nothing seemed to last. Finally, one of our neighbors said to try clover. We had been to several homes of friends with gorgeous lawns, and realized that the cushy carpet underneath was a mix of grass and clover. BTW, this type of clover will take one or two years to really take, but it is incredibly easy to care for, holds water well throughout the heat of summer, and grows in every area of our lawn - sun and shade. (It has taken longer for it to spread fully in the shadiest portion, but it's getting there.) Good luck!

This is the time to sow grass or clover seed (I'd go for tiny clover) and the topic came up on another Forum. This was my advice.

A couple of days before sowing seed for lawn areas we use Geodinfos G8 Granulare. It's not exactly a "planet saving" product but it does save money spent on costly seed. We ONLY use it for this purpose. It's a SIAPA Milano product, quote... Insetticida per la lotta contro gli insetti del tereno da applicare prima della semina.

Thanks Lisann and Anna - clover's a good call, as is some pre-emptive strike anti-bug dust.

Clover on its own would you reckon...or mixed with a little grass seed ? Any suggestions of ratio of which-to-which ?

And is it Ok to cut/mow normally ?

Ciao, DeeBee...I don't know the procedure that my husband used when planting the clover, but I can find out for you. (I was so exasperated with the failures of growing grass that I handed the task over to him.) I DO know that he bought the best brand of clover that he could find, that the neighbors told him that he could mix it with grass seed if he wanted, but there was an important discussion about when to fertilize...being very careful about the timing of this to ensure the safety of the clover. (I can't recall the timing of the fertilizer, nor the type, but again, I can find this out.) The first summer we would look at the grass and shake our heads. The second summer we noticed a great increase in coverage. Over time, it will take over everywhere. Other than the wait-time to get it growing, it is very easy to maintain, doesn't grow as high as grass so won't need to be mowed as often and is less prone to drought. (Mowing frequency will change of course depending on the amount of grass that is mixed in with the clover.)
I will try to find out more for you.

DeeBee, just spoke with my husband and he used 100% clover seed, no grass. He said that he too was frustrated with the grass and "pounded" the lawn with tons of clover seed (a German or Dutch brand). Also, several weeks before planting the clover, he used a product like Scott's Turf Builder. He couldn't recall when he used fertilizer, or what name, but perhaps someone at your local garden center can assist you with that.
Neighbors on my left have a tremendous looking lawn all year (mostly clover, little grass)...they receive a great deal more sun than I and fertilize 2 - 4 times per year. Neighbors on my right have less sun than I do, their gardener used a 50 - 50 mix of clover and grass and their lawn doesn't look as nice all year long. In winter months, they have quite a moss problem in the shadiest areas. I have a mix of sun and shade, and if I stay on top of the weeds, it looks good all year.
Good luck and may a lush lawn be your's in the near future!

Thanks again guys.
After hours of pleasurably nerdish online research, 'Dutch White' is the clover to use (with a bit of 'Strong Creeping Red Fescue' and 'Perennial Rye' grass seed to help with wear/tear).
No fertiliser ! Clover makes its own.
(There also seems to be a new product called 'Johnson's Easy Lawn' which is a mix of micro-clover (!) and grass seed. But who knows whether this'd stand an Italian summer.)
No - regular clover + grass it is !