Essential questions

Heavy or light traffic?

If your lawn is going to be regularly walked, played and sat on, ask your lawn supplier to recommend a hardwearing turf that’ll withstand trampling.for lawns that are lightly used, consider using an alternative, like chamomile.

Could the size of your lawn be reduced?

Lawns don’t have to cover a majority of a garden – a smaller patch with deeper borders can make your plot appear larger.

Do you have to walk across your lawn to get to other parts of your garden?

A pathway around a lawn or a pattern of stepping stones through it creates a stronger design, as well as preventing wear to the turf.

Is the lawn suffering from too much shade or waterlogging?

Contact a specialist to advise on specific problems. Consider replacing it with an evergreen groundcover or artificial grass.

Do you want an open space where the lawn is clearly visible or do you want it to be an intimate, tuckedaway space?

The way you plan your beds and planting around your lawn will determine visibility. As well as looking magical in their own right, beds that enclose a lawn can give a cosy feeling of privacy, with tall and mid-level planting adding interest and screening off children’s play, seating or entertainment areas.