Biodiverse Lawns

[mbucuk]

I have a client who wants to develop a mowed lawn area with diverse mix of low maintenance grasses and low growing broadleaf plants. The current lawn that has not been fertilized for 10+ years and always had clippings mulched in. The lawn area is about 2,000 sf, partial shade with an irrigation system. There is some ground ivy present.

I am thinking of aerating and topdressing with compost then overseeding with predominantly fine fescues and some dutch white clover as the main lawn species. I also want to mix in other broadleaf plants to create the diverse, interesting lawn the client is looking for. I am thinking along the lines of creeping daisy, creeping thyme, birds foot trefoil, etc. Flowering plants would be a plus as the client has bees hives on the property.

Does anyone have any experience establishing a planned grass/broadleaf lawn or have any ideas about suitable plant species for this application in the Northeast.

Thanks.
Mike

[Smallaxe]

Looks like you have a fun project on your hands. The only other one I heard of was white clover, but there is no reason you can't experiment with other plants as long as walking traffic is not an issue.
Post some pictures when it blooms.

[Kiril]

At risk of stating the obvious, don't plant a grass that will require mowing. :)