Designing A Lawn? - A Few Do’s And Don’ts - Part 1

Designing A Lawn? - A Few Do’s And Don’ts.
Part 1.

If you are going to design a lawn, whether it be totally from scratch on a brand new plot, or incorporating an existing lawn or features that are already established, you need to think and plan very carefully before you take to your tools and sewing lawn seed or turf.
The lawn you lay in haste is a lawn you are likely to grow to dislike. A little bit of extra thought now will save a lot of anguish, hard work and heartache later.

Before you even think about buying anything or getting any tools out, ask yourself a few simple questions.
What kind of lawn do I want?
What do I want to use it for?
What kind of site do I have?
How much time do I have to prepare and look after a lawn?
What time of year is it?
How long will it take to establish the lawn?

It is better to always draw out the design for your lawn on paper, preferably on graph paper and to some sort of scale. Remember to include on this plan any buildings or boundary edges as well as any existing features. I know it all sounds a bit “fussy” but it really is worthwhile if you are serious about getting the lawn you want, and you may as well be as the amount of actual work is going to be the same whether it is right or not. Possibly even less work if you have spent time planning your lawn properly.

Once you have decided what you want to use your lawn for, this will lead you toward the kind you need. It is no good having a top class, luxury lawn if the kids are going to use it as a football pitch, the dog as a toilet and you have precious little time to look after it.
Next you have to consider the kind of plot you have. Is it level or on a very steep gradient, meaning that you will have a lot of preparation work to do if you want to be able to mow your lawn quickly and easily.

A very worthwhile consideration, if you are not sure yet what features you are going to have in your lawn, is to grass the largest area you can and remove turf later to add features such as pathways, ponds and fountains, decking for a seating area, etc., etc.
It is always easier, and looks better, to remove turf than to try and add to your lawn. It never seems to “patch-in” quite right.
The time of year that you want to put down your lawn will dictate whether it can be done with grass seed or if it will have to be turf, just as much as how long you wish to wait before you can use your lawn.
Turf is the quickest option and you can be using your new lawn after just a few weeks, it can also be laid just about any when if you prepare and continually water. It is also the most expensive method, so if budget is a major concern then you will have to use seed and plant either in early spring or early autumn. Seed will obviously take a lot longer to establish itself before you can use it.

Once you have considered all the above questions, get your design down on paper and be prepared to make some changes as you go along. No new lawn design will be right first time, it is only one part of your garden, a major part that has to be right I grant you but, still only one part of an overall picture. Spend time getting your lawn right now and it will probably be the crowning glory in your garden, something that you can use to improve the rest of your garden little by little.
Do it right first time and you only have to do it the once, you can add and change it but the main hard work is done.

In part 2 of this article we will look at more of the specifics of designing your lawn and the general practicalities of shape, features, planting and borders and all the other details that make a lawn such an eye-catching masterpiece if done right.
Remember, put the time in now and put your feet up later. That is the golden rule of lawn design - now, see you in part 2.