The Natural Gardener
If you’ve taken one look at your lawn recently and grimaced, you’re not alone. Gardeners up and down the land will be looking out to a muddy mess while looking back fondly at summer snaps of springy green swards. So, put some pizzazz back into yours now to get it ready for its spring and summer heyday. Key to this though, if you want to garden naturally and welcome wildlife in, is to ditch the harmful chemicals. You might not end up with pristine, bowling green beauty, but who wants that anyway?
Lawns are pretty robust and will already be growing well, ready to bounce back after winter. Aerate with a garden fork to reduce compaction and overseed any bare patches. Mow only once a week and keep the setting on high to help it grow and reduce stress on the grass. Leave the grass cuttings on your lawn as a mulch to feed itself and save precious water by not wasting it on your lawn, unless it’s new and the weather is very dry. Moss can be a problem at this time of year, so use a spring-tine rake to clear a pile and leave it out for birds to collect for nests. A natural fertiliser product, such as Viano Mo Bacter, also gets rid of and prevents moss. Feeding your lawn is crucial now – I get mine off to a good start with chemicalfree Envii Greenkeeper’s Secret, then reapply every few weeks.
These simple lawn care jobs will pep your green space up for summer. But why not go the extra mile? Spring lawn care doesn’t just have to be about mowing and feeding, it can be about improving your lawn’s wildlife and biodiversity. Firstly, it’s important to say that your ordinary lawn, if chemical-free, is packed with diverse wildlife anyway, such as worms, ground bees and beetles. It closely resembles a grazed grassland landscape in the wild and provides a natural larder for garden birds. But there are one or two things you can do to take it even further to create meadow magic just outside the back door. Don’t leave it all to go wild – that will be impractical and all you’ll end up with is nettles! Instead, manage it by leaving parts of the lawn unmown – perhaps in the corners, or leave one or two unmown strips in the centre or around a tree. Leave these areas to flower and see what comes up – clover, daisies and dandelions are bee-friendly, while grass flower seed is good for birds. Plant crocus, bird’s foot trefoil or sow cowslips in your long grass areas and wait to greet the wonderful creatures that will be drawn in.