Alan Titchmarsh
Combine a bowlinggreen lawn with a fashionably wild meadow, says Alan
Everybody knows grass. It’s the green stuff that covers those bits of garden that aren’t beds, borders or paving – a bit like an outdoor carpet, except it needs mowing.
But these days, not all lawns are the polite, close-cropped sort. Now that gardens are becoming more natural, you can try rough grass, wildflower lawns – the ankle-length sort with a tapestry of clover, trefoil and speedwell – or even knee-high meadows.
But don’t stick to the same style throughout, match the type of grass to the character of each area.
Short and chic
Lawns have a chic, short-cut grass but keeping that smart finish demands regular work. Such lawns need feeding in spring – a slow-release feed is probably best for a lawn that is used a lot and doesn’t have any weeds. So unless you are prepared to use lawn weed killers, dig out daisies and dandelions by hand.
Purists also take exception to clover but these days, when it’s not done to water the lawn, a healthy sprinkling of clover keeps it looking greener in a dry summer. In the
autumn, a proper lawn needs its annual treat.
Give it a good going-over with a wire rake to remove thatch (the build-up of dead material in the base layer of the turf), spike it well and give it a dose of autumn lawn feed to set the roots up for winter.
Then, of course, there’s the mowing. To keep the closecropped look, you’ll need to mow twice a week in summer and keep cutting throughout the winter as long as the grass is still growing. A decent rotary mower will do a good job but collect the grass clippings and trim round the edges of flower beds or you won’t have the neat finish a proper lawn deserves.
Rough it up
Rougher grass is easier to manage – a quick run-round with a mower every few weeks keeps it tidy.
If you have a natural garden, a smattering of short wildflowers will turn rough grass into a colourful lawn. But you need flowers such as violets that will slide under the mower without being beheaded. Leave them to turn
up naturally or plant plugs in spring after removing divots of turf. What you don’t want are common plantains and dandelions, so pull up unwelcome species by hand. There’s no need to feed a lawn like this. You’ll still need to mow a wildflower lawn every couple of weeks in the growing season but set the blades at an inch-and-ahalf so the grass is never trimmed too short. The great benefit is it will stay green far longer than short grass in a dry summer. And, of course, it’s a heck of a lot less work.
go wild
A meadow, on the other hand, is meant to grow tall, so the grasses flower and set seed just like an old-fashioned hay field. It’s only cut once or twice a year, in spring and autumn, so a normal mower
is no use – you will need a rotary scythe. But a meadow is not a practical alternative to regular grass for parts of your garden you use every day. For a start, you can’t walk through a meadow without bashing down the grass and leaving a flattened track behind you, and if you let the kids loose with a football the result will be a hideous mess.
This is something for a wild corner or a small paddock – but it looks delightful dotted with meadow wildflowers such as oxeye daisies.
The way to enjoy it most is by mowing a path through it. Cut a rambling one round the edge and add the odd rustic seat, or create a straight, formal path through the middle, leading to an artistic focal point. You’ll need to re-cut your path every few weeks but it’s still a big saving on work and the results are a great reward.