16 million Brits admit to being stressed by the state of their lawn

• More than two thirds of Brits* admit they are embarrassed, stressed and anxious if their lawn isn’t in good condition
• Nearly half of Brits (49%) say lawn is the ‘mow-st’ important part of the garden to them
• 96% seek out green space on a regular basis, even if they don’t own a garden

With warmer days ahead of us, the British public has the chance to get outside and sort out any nagging gardening jobs ahead of the sunny summer months. New research from EverGreen® has found that more than two thirds of Brits (71%) are embarrassed, stressed and anxious if their lawn is untidy.

Lawns and gardens are a big part of British culture with nearly half of people in the UK  (49%) admitting that grass is the most important part of the garden, providing them with a place to relax, children to play and families and friends to socialise.

More than two thirds of Brits say that their garden or a green space near work or home is integral to helping them relax and feel at ease from the stresses of daily life.

For the one in 10 Brits who don’t own a garden, regularly seeking out their own patch of turf to enjoy, no matter how small is an important part of their lives. An impressive 96% visit locations close to their workplace and home in order to be surrounded by nature (58%), enjoy the smell of grass (40%) and the comfort being outside brings (40%). The number living without a garden increases to one in five people living in urban areas such as London, Southampton and Brighton.

More than six out of 10 (61%) people nationwide seek out green space more than three times each week with this figure increasing for those living in London (67.5%).

Of course, if you are lucky enough to have a garden, EverGreen® Super Seed can be used to cultivate the perfect patch of grass to enjoy when the sun comes out. So, whether you enjoy socialising with friends, reading a book or dining al fresco, the lawn will be in perfect condition.

Joanna Weston, Digital Marketing Manager at Scotts Miracle-Gro® said: “In our digital age, it’s refreshing to see that our natural instincts still ring true – spending time in green space is still the best, and cheapest, route to creating calm. For those without their own garden, it’s interesting to see how often Brits seek out a patch of turf.

“Our EverGreen® Super Seed goes some way to furnishing Brits with a quick solution to keep their lawns in tip top condition all summer long.”

Here are some simple tips to achieve an almost effortless lawn:

Mowing – when to mow and best height of trim

• Cut regularly – once a week in March, twice a week in May, June and July, and once a week come August.
• Never give the lawn a close shave. It should be long enough to remain healthy, but short enough to be visually pleasing. About 2.5cm is just right.
• Trim the edges, sharpen your mower blades.
• 2-3 days after mowing, feed your lawn a grass feed to promote healthy roots and a greener, thicker lawn. It is also recommended that you leave it a further 2-3 days after application before mowing the lawn again.

Weeds – how to treat weeds

• Good management of the lawn including regular feeding and correct mowing will encourage a thicker lawn to repel an invasion by weeds. However, seeds will blow in from other areas of the garden and bird droppings will also contain weed seeds.
• Getting rid of lawn weeds isn’t a matter of digging them out. Thanks to science, selective weedkillers have been produced that kill weeds without harming the grass. Treating the average sized lawn (100m2) with a lawn treatment will take as little as 10 minutes to feed, weed and control moss in one application.

Watering – preparation and adding nutrients

Most lawns can survive a couple of weeks without rain, but after this period you will notice symptoms of stress; grass may turn silvery blue and turf will look flat as the grass wilts. To avoid these problems:

• Prick the surface – if the lawn is baked hard then water will tend to run off the surface rather than soak into the soil. To prevent this from happening, prick the surface all over with a garden fork.
• Water thoroughly – during a drought, water the lawn thoroughly once a week rather than giving light sprinklings each day. Water at a cool time of the day, either late at night or early in the morning.
• Add nutrients while watering – such as a soluble lawn food. These are diluted with water and get to work quickly.
• Top dressing – top dress the turf once a year with an enriched lawn soil to help build up organic matter and aid water retention.

Feeding – benefits and reasons to feed

Lawn grasses start growing from March as the soil begins to warm up and mowing starts. As you mow you may notice that the colour of the remaining grass is verging towards pale yellow rather than rich green.

If you look harder then you may spot patches of moss in shady areas and the inevitable weed marring the look. If you can spot any two of these symptoms then your lawn needs a thorough make-over to get back to a decent lawn rather than a simple patch of weedy grass.

• For lawns use an easy-to-use grass seed spreader to apply the granular feed.

Moss control – moss tips

• Start by mowing the lawn and at the same time check what conditions you find under foot. Choose a dry day when frost is not present. You are almost certain to find great colonies of moss, especially in low lying and shaded areas.
• Mossy lawns tend to: have remained wet for long periods, have low nutrient levels, be compacted, lack organic matter, be cut too short or scalped, be shaded from regular sunshine.

Seeding a new lawn

• First decide on the type of lawn you want and how you will use the area. You can then choose the correct seed mixture that will perfectly match your lifestyle and garden.
• Before you buy the grass seed, measure the area to be seeded so you can buy the right amount of grass seed you need.
• Anyone can sprinkle seed over soil, but if you want your lawn to be flat, free-draining, weed-free and establish quickly, then preparation is the key to short and long-term success.

EverGreen® Super Seed is a triple action grass seed that provides all of the care lawns need. The seed contains a mix of grass seed, controlled release fertilizer and soil enricher and germinates at low temperatures making it suitable for growing in sunny and shady locations.

For more lawn care articles, tips and advice visit www.lovethegarden.com.

It’s a question I have seen asked several times recently. The appalling bad weather – nearly 6 months of winter has probably made many ok lawns look awful.
So before you rip out your existing lawn you need to ask a few questions. There is no point replacing an entire lawn if it doesn’t need it – its hard work, expensive and takes time and a huge amount of effort.

What causes the current lawn issues?

Ensuring you know what the problems are is important before you try to rectify them.

Lawn problems can be caused by:-
children playing on the lawn
pets peeing on the lawn
garden furniture on the lawn
diseases
wear and tear – the paths you walk to put washing out
insects can cause lawn damage
Bad weather can really stress a lawn
Soggy ground damages lawns
Cutting the grass too short is a way to damage it.

Have a look at the lawn – what are the problems? Moss means damp, yellow dead patches mean bugs.
There are lots of weed and feed treatments to use if you have a lot of weeds, but if your lawn is weed free then you’re lucky and it just needs some help growing.
If any areas are underwater when its not rained for a few days then you’ve got to sort that out. If you have excessive shade then grass will struggle to grow. If removing the cause of the shade isn’t possible though you need to rethink having a lawn.

Returfing costs a lot of money and needs very careful preparation of the soil.

Question:

I have a bold patch in the lawn what can I do?

Answer:
Consider first why you have a bald patch.

Some people have wear and tear on their lawn from using it. If this is the case and the bald patch is on a pathway why not consider putting a paving stone in this spot? It’ll save you having to replace it again next year or the year after.

A bald spot after burying a pet however can be easily covered with grass seed in the top soil and this will grow and fill the gap.

If a child’s slide or swing has been causing this mark and has been moved to another part of the garden then you could leave the grass to recover on its own if it’s not too badly damaged, or seed, or even cut a patch of turf from a roll. New turf is the most expensive option though and most gardeners will want to avoid this for not only the expense but the additional care of watering a new patch of lawn.