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Is it lawn or is it grass?
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Message 1.Ìý
Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Friday, 27th May 2011
I have come to the conclusion there are three basic types of people as regards grass
1- this the fanatic who has the sprinkler going because it hasn't rained for 24 hours, owns a £300 mower, has immaculate stripes, no weeds, precision cut edges,and the grass is a lovely green all year.
He has a lawn.
2- this is me- owns a cheap petrol mower that has never been serviced but starts every time-if the grass goes brown doesn't care because it will go green when it rains-weeds and feeds the lawn once a year (perhaps),edges are an afterthought,and the grass is green sometimes.
I have grass
3-then there are the neighbours-on both sides-own an electric mower- cut the grass about every four weeks ,spend ages doing it and have never caught on it would be easier to do it more often, have loads of weeds,of which the seeds float of my garden.The cuttings go in the green bag for re-cycling.
They have a patch
I expect there are many sub-categories-or am I just alone on this?
Geoff. -
Message 2
Posted by Rainjustlearning (U12861332) on Friday, 27th May 2011
I'm a number 2 but I have a electric mower, the grass gets cut twice a week sometimes depends on how fast it grows, weed and feed twice a year and it's still rubbish yet next door's gets cut once a month and it's lush and green grrrrrr, I must say that I do the edges every time as I like them nice and sharp and clean cut, have put grass seed down and failed every time, have now got some of this "Aftercut" to see how it goes so when the wind drops I shall put some down.
Rain -
Message 3
Posted by garyhobson (U11055016) on Saturday, 28th May 2011
4) Wildlife fans will not cut the grass, and will have a wildflower meadow.
5) Self-sufficiency enthousiasts will use a grass area as a chicken run.
6) People with more cash than intelligence will use a ride-on mower.
7) Plantaholics will get rid of the lawn altogether, and turn the entire area into flower beds. There were very few lawns in the show gardens at Chelsea this year (none?). At one time the Chelsea show gardens used to have meticulously maintained lawns, but not any longer. -
Message 4
Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Saturday, 28th May 2011
Confession time- I have turned an area of grass into a chicken run-but I love number 6.
Geoff -
Message 5
Posted by darren p (U8518743) on Saturday, 28th May 2011
confession time- who cares? seriously, if i had space for grass, it would be as a wildflower meadow. with coarse thick grass , some nice alliums and nectaroscordum,
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Message 6
Posted by Papa Nopsis (U14479902) on Saturday, 28th May 2011
Plantaholics will get rid of the lawn altogether, and turn the entire area into flower bedsÌý
I'm 7, variation 2. Vegetable plots. -
Message 7
Posted by dahliadelight (U3132899) on Saturday, 28th May 2011
id be 1 but with some different bits
1- this the fanatic who waters lawn once weekly if no rain for a while or drought
owns a £3 mower old fashioned push type (bargain off a car boot), has immaculate stripes, no weeds, precision cut edges,and the grass is a lovely green all year.
He has a lawn.
dd -
Message 8
Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Sunday, 29th May 2011
confession time- who cares? seriously, if i had space for grass, it would be as a wildflower meadow. with coarse thick grass , some nice alliums and nectaroscordum,Ìý - a bit rude as I had started this discussion and was responding to a comment made in answer 3- anyway isn't a wildflower meadow a posh person's patch of weeds , an annoyance to neighbours,and an excuse not do do anything.
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Message 9
Posted by darren p (U8518743) on Sunday, 29th May 2011
well, a proper wild flower patch, be it in meadow form or just disused perimeter
around a field can be a real gem, harbouring a mish mash of rare, curious or just plain wonderful things- flora or fauna. i point you in the direction of great dixter and highgrove. now if you do not see the charm an value in these 'excuses to do nothing' then you and i will never see eye to eye. on anything. ever.
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Message 10
Posted by Papa Nopsis (U14479902) on Sunday, 29th May 2011
e- who cares? seriously, if i had space for grass, it would be as a wildflower meadow. with coarse thick grass , some nice alliums and nectaroscordum,Ìý
Too true ; my choice is currently for half a dozen species of poppy, rather than allium.Even Begonia does very nicely indeed popping out of the "grass".
Has anybody ever grown a Begonia lawn, like a daffodil lawn?!
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Message 11
Posted by Obelixx (U2157162) on Sunday, 29th May 2011
We have a large expanse of grass so I have a ride on mower. When the last one died I wanted to get one of those automatic muncher robot mowers but OH said no. It takes me 45 mins to go round and I keep the blades high to encourage strong roots which better withstand drought and nasty winters. It gets cut every 5 to 7 days depending on growth.
We have weeds. I don't mind clover and speedwell but object to dandelions so this year we've done a weed and feed. We have moles and a dog so sometimes the grass looks like the Somme but it does set off the beds very well when cut and is a great play area for Possum when she was younger and now for friends' kids and, of course, our dog who likesto play football.
I grow alliums and nectarospordums and fritillaries in the borders along with many other plants that are attractive to insects. From all I've seen, a good wildflower meadow is actually quite high maintenance in terms of keeping fertility low enough to encourage the wildflowers to grow well and then it only looks good for 3 weeks. I can spread insect and bird hospitality better and throughout the whole year in the borders.
Currently, half the garden is grass and half is planted beds plus a pond. Next time we have to buy a mower there will be less grass - tho OH doesn't know that yet - and I will get a robot muncher. -
Message 12
Posted by thedogcody (U14659366) on Sunday, 29th May 2011
well, a proper wild flower patch, be it in meadow form or just disused perimeter
around a field can be a real gem, harbouring a mish mash of rare, curious or just plain wonderful things- flora or fauna. i point you in the direction of great dixter and highgrove. now if you do not see the charm an value in these 'excuses to do nothing' then you and i will never see eye to eye. on anything. ever.Ìý
Hello darren p,
" excuses to do nothing" was just a flippant remark not meant to be taken seriously- but I wouldn't want a wildflower meadow in a suburban garden- especially next door to me -I have enough trouble already !!
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Message 13
Posted by bookertoo (U3655866) on Sunday, 29th May 2011
We have grass - sometimes. I feed it once a year if I remember. It grows daisies, clover, violas, bugle, japanese anemones, (though I do try to keep those down as they are rather large) ranunculus 'brazen hussey', speedwell, fox and chickens, lily of the valley, hardy geraniums in various colours, and anything else reasonably small that oozes out of the usually untrimmed border edges. In the winter it gets mossy, there are large amounts of tree roots under it. Sometimes it looks quite grassy, but not for long - I cut it from time to time, maybe when it gets to be unclear where the borders are, or we actualy want to sit on chairs on it withut playing 'hunt the chair'. We love it like this, the only weed I object to is dandelions, they are just too big and brassy for me. I never water it, as indeed whatever is there will grow again when the rains come, and they always do.
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Message 14
Posted by Boofer (U3709461) on Sunday, 29th May 2011
Our petrol mower cost £600 eleven years ago when we moved here. OH wanted a ride-on mower because the garden was mostly lawn/grass/green but I told him it wasn't going to stay like that for long so he didn't get one.
Since then borders and beds have been put in (which get bigger each time I do the edges) and more beds and borders are planned. There are all sorts of native plants out there because a) they are pretty especially the daisies and b) they encourage wildlife (finches like dandelion seeds). The only weeds are docks and raspberry canes.
The green stuff never gets fed, gets watered when it rains which is often in the South West and stays looking green thanks to lots of moss and clover. If OH is home it gets cut once a week. If he's away it doesn't!
I have a 'meadow' planted with snakeshead fritillaries, native daffs and cowslips to which I have just added camassias and pheasants eye narcissus. When they have finised it turns into a sea of buttercups.
I also have a large circular area with naturalised crocus and narcissi which is left long for six weeks after they have finished flowering.
Methinks I have grass not a lawn but I wouldn't trade it. -
Message 15
Posted by Papa Nopsis (U14479902) on Tuesday, 31st May 2011
I have done a section of my close garden to meadow flowers, which don't look much to start off with, but i am now finding all sorts of things that i planted last year are now coming good.
I gave thought to the meadow flowers since my good neighbour farmer is prepared to dispose of half an acre at a price, and I was wondering precisely how I would use it economically and..... elegantly.
The loss of meadow flowers from that kind of land is surely the first thing a garden/horticulture man looks to, in re-acting to the mono-culture meadow grass agricultural evolution of the last 40-60 years? -
Message 16
Posted by Satin (U14303179) on Tuesday, 31st May 2011
I have grass/weeds rather than a lawn. The husband mows it very rarely after I have asked him several times. I have thought about doing it myself but as I do all the housework it only seems fair he does something. That and he had a green installed to practise putting and I'm worried about mowing around it without damaging it.
So we have some grass (currently mainly brown), lots of clover, danelions, and daisies. The weeds keep it green which is kinda handy. Never water it or feed it as it recovers when it rains. I worried about the danelions but it actually looked quite nice last year covered with yellow flowers so I decided not to fight a losing battle and learn to enjoy them.
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