Are you struggling to keep up with lawn care? All that mowing, edging, scarifying, feeding and aerating can be hard work. If you love the weekly ritual of mowing and edging, and the seasonal delights of aerating, scarifying and feeding, then of course, carry on enjoying taking pride in your green sward. But if you dread having to haul the mower out and would rather just be chilling out and enjoying the outdoors, then there are ways to unshackle yourself from the relentless regime. Experts and gardeners alike are relaxing their lawncare for a lower maintenance, but still attractive, look.
We asked a range of experts for their advice on enjoying a great-looking lawn without the effort.
How to care for your lawn
Choose the right seed mix
David Hedges-Gower of the Lawn Association explains that most lawn seed sold in the UK is dwarf ryegrass, which was bred in the mid-1990s. Rye grass performs differently to our native bents and fescues, which cover much of the British countryside (and are likely to be present in any lawn created before the Nineties). Ryegrass germinates quickly, has a thick leaf and look lush initially, but is shallow rooted, and is susceptible to drought – which means it goes brown in dry summer.
He reckons that this change in grass type is where a lot of our problems originate from. “We’ve created a very un-eco-friendly grass species that requires a lot of water to germinate, and probably needs reseeding. This is why most people’s lawns are so bad and have to be seeded every year. Yet the countryside, and any lawn that has bent and fescue in it, will bounce back every year.”
Despite what the packet says, David says there is no such thing as a heavy-wear grass mix, a drought-tolerant species, or a shade-tolerant grass.” He advises checking seed packets carefully and looking for grass seed that consists mostly of bents and fescues - often on packets that claim to create a 'fine' lawn. These bents and fescues will gradually grow sideways, controlling weeds and resulting in fewer bare patches, and thickening up nicely when mowed.
“Where you can, take away rye grass, let it thin out, and get native bents and fescues in there. If you can get bent grass growing in your lawn, some of your problems will disappear because the grass will be getting rid of them for you.”
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Relax your regime
“The perfect lawn is the one that is perfect for you,” says David. He never waters a lawn, nor does he use herbicides on weeds. If you want to feed, he recommends avoiding slow-release, man-made fertilisers, which may contain plastic, and instead go for a natural product that will improve the soil, as compost would improve the soil in a border.
He says you can scarify a bent and fescue lawn if you wish, because it does need a bit of a spring clean. “But the idea is really to prune the plant to generate new growth. But if you don’t want a manicured lawn, you don’t need to scarify.”
David does recommend aerating a lawn – but not by wiggling a garden fork all over it, as many of us do. He says a hollow tine should be used, once a year: “You’ll remove thousands of plugs, which allows the ground to collapse in on itself, altering the soil structure.”
Mow less
If you mow less, say every two or three weeks, small, low-growing flowers such as daisies and clover will appear. “Many of the plants we are told are 'bad' for lawns are actually among the best for toughening them up,” explains designer and gardening writer Jack Wallington. “Dandelions, achillea, self-heal, plantain, buttercup and daisies are all able to withstand being trodden on and their roots help bind the soil. They are all more drought resistant than lawn grass, too, remaining green in dry weather when grass may temporarily die back.”
And of course, many of these flowers are excellent for pollinators, bringing life to your lawn and increasing the biodiversity in your garden. Once you cut the lawn again, it will return to looking like a traditional lawn for a while, and will become more shaggy over time.
Don’t worry about moss
“Moss in shady lawns is a good thing,” says Jack Wallington. “It makes an area green in spots where grass can’t grow.” So put away the moss killer, and be grateful that moss is doing a job for you.
Avoid walking on it
“You can minimise the damage from footfall by replacing a section of lawn with a path or inserting a more contemporary version of stepping stones in the most used areas,” suggests Jack Wallington. “Lawns are at their most vulnerable when waterlogged, as that is when soggy soil under the grass can squash or slip, tearing up the roots.
“If you can avoid using the lawn during the wettest weeks of the year, it will ensure the grass is strong for the rest of the year. The muddiest patches are often caused by repeated use, such as walking to and from a shed or garage. Create a simple path and people are likely to use it in the wetter months, protecting the lawn.”
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Don’t worry about what the neighbours think
If you’re worried about your garden looking ‘neglected’ in the eyes of your neighbours, designer Charlotte Harris has some useful advice. “This is where the idea of ‘cues to care’ comes in,” she explains.
“These are the subtle visual signals that indicate that someone is paying attention. In a smaller garden space, that could be a mown strip of lawn framing a mini meadow in the middle of a lawn.” It could also take the form of mown paths through an area where the grass has been left to grow long.
