Lawns
Garden lawns as a concept are changing. While many lawn owners still aspire to the ‘perfect’, striped and velvet-like surface, there is a growing interest in the preparation of less intensively-maintained areas with a view to enhancing wildlife. In recent years nature lovers have been extolling the benefits of relaxed lawn maintenance with the growing popularity of the ’NoMoMay’ campaign.
Agrostis are committed to enhancing the natural environment through all aspects of our work so we see no conflict here. Whether you aim to achieve the perfect croquet lawn or to maintain a traditional hay meadow in your back garden, we can help you achieve your goal.
Things to Consider when Installing a New Lawn
Turf or seed?
If you’re planning to install a new lawn you need to make this decision early on. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of each are summarised below.
Seed | Turf | |
|---|---|---|
Time of year | August is best. June/July requires regular watering. April/May is OK but spring sowing can be unreliable. | Late autumn to early Spring. Avoid May to Sep (or be prepared for a lot of watering). |
Founding duration | 4 to 8 months. | 4 to 8 weeks. |
Budget | ‘Standard’ seed is around 10p per square metre. | ‘Standard’ turf is around £4
per square metre. |
Species options | Potentially very diverse. | Limited by turf suppliers. |
Initial upkeep | Slightly complicated. | Fairly straightforward. |
The size of the lawn and where you want it to be?
The size of the lawn will obviously dictate how much it’s all going to cost.
Whether you’d like to improve the soil in any way before establishing the lawn?
Sometimes the soil is too heavy and drains badly. Sometimes there isn’t enough soil to sustain good grass growth. You’ll need to think about this to get the best out of your lawn. There won't be a better time than before the grass is established to resolve any problems like this.
What kind of lawn do you want?
In practice there are just 3 types of lawn that are most commonly asked for by domestic clients; shaded, hard wearing and ornamental. The ground preparation is more or less the same whatever the type of lawn you’re after. But within these options there is a wide range of interpretations in terms of grass types available, particularly if growing from seed. We’d be happy to advise you further on this; just get in touch.
Rogue Traders!
You may wonder what the relevance of the motley crew shown in the photograph below is. The photo shows Tim with the 'Rogue Traders' team from BBC's 'Watchdog' television series. In an episode broadcast in 2013, the team decided to investigate a purportedly dodgy turf installer in Kent. As is the format of the show, they turned to Tim Lodge as the 'expert' in all things lawn related. Tim appeared as 'the expert' in Rogue Traders again in October 2019 to look at a similar lawn-related issue.
