Make yours a lazy lawn
Garden experts say it’s trendy to let it run wild
FOR anyone who has to be dragged kicking and screaming in to the garden to mow the lawn, there’s some news: Immaculate striped green grass is out of favour.
Instead, the trend is for ‘lazy lawns’ with brown patches and weeds, the Royal Horticultural Society claims.
Such gardens are better for nature, less work, and dry brown grass patches are better to sit on than damp wet grass.
RHS chief horticulturist Guy Barter compiled the annual gardening trends list based on feedback from RHS members and discussion with growers and retailers.
He said the lazy lawn fits better with modern lifestyles and is ‘giving approval for a more environmentally friendly approach’. It is a sentiment echoed by Gardener’s World presenter Monty Don who last month suggested the urge to keep grass short is a masculine ‘obsession’. He said gardeners should keep their grass long to preserve local wildlife.
Mr Barter said: ‘By not watering your lawn massively, not feeding it massively and leaving some aside for wildlife, perhaps mowing paths through it, you can enjoy all the benefits of the lawn without tying yourself down in the way people used to do.’
Alternatives to grass such as clovers which need much less water and do not need fertiliser are also expected to be more popular. Mr Barter said: ‘The immaculate, striped lawn has given way as gardeners come to accept the inevitable wear and tear and turn a blind eye to a bit of browning.
‘Some will seek out interesting and environmentally benign alternatives such as small leaved clovers which, usually mixed with grasses, will stay green without fertiliser and resist drought.’
Other predicted trends include gardeners growing their own fruit and vegetables. The RHS strongly advises against buying seeds from abroad as this could risk introducing pests and diseases.