Summer lawn care

Nothing beats walking across a dewy lawn bare foot to hang out the washing at the start of a hot summer’s day.

For guidance on how to reduce maintenance, controlling weeds and moss, feeding & more, join Andy McIndoe on his dedicated Lawns course and make the most of your lawn.

I have always had a very soft spot for lawns as one of my happiest childhood memories is playing on my grandparents’ lawn in summer. This green carpet provides so much pleasure and it is the softest, coolest, and most interesting garden surface to opt for.

My heart sinks when I hear that someone has decided to lift the lawn and replace it with a hard standing. With the increased rainfall we are experiencing hard, non-porous surfaces are not a sensible choice – a lawn allows water to drain away and reduces the risk of flooding.

Artificial turf might seem like the perfect middle ground and a low maintenance option, but it is not. It gets hot in summer which can be a danger to pets and children when temperatures are high.

You’ll also miss out on the amazing visitors that live in or visit your lawn. We need to ensure there is room for birds, insects, and mammals to share our gardens and they must remain a top priority when planning and caring for our plots.

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Having been a greenkeeper many moons ago I know only too well how much time, energy, and attention a lawn needs to make it a perfect green carpet. Thankfully not many gardeners require that level of perfection.

Most gardeners are keen to strike a happy balance and create a usable, healthy lawn but also ensure that the lawn is home to some wildflowers that will attract pollinating insects to their garden. After all, who doesn’t love making daisy chains?

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The amount of time you spend tending your lawn in summer really depends on what type of lawn you have. A close-cut lawn with stripes will need mowing twice a week in summer and only once if we are experiencing a period of drought.

Whereas a more wild and relaxed lawn won’t need cutting anything like as much as this. Most of us have something in between the two that gets a cut once a week.

By mowing a lawn regularly strong, perennial weeds such as docks, nettles and thistles don’t get a chance to establish.

However, an established meadow will need cutting only three times in a year. The first cut is in early April followed by a main cut in summer (anytime between late June and mid-August).

The grass from this cut should be raked up and put on the compost heap or if the site is large your grass cuttings can be made into hay. Don’t be too hasty to clear up the cuttings though as leaving them on the ground for a couple of days will allow the seed of the wildflowers to drop.

Another autumn cut will help to keep the grass under control and prevent the wildflowers from being overwhelmed by grass.

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Creating a vibrant wildflower grassy area isn’t as easy as you might think. By mowing a lawn regularly strong, perennial weeds such as docks, nettles and thistles don’t get a chance to establish.

On a less frequently mown lawn these strong growers will soon takeover your meadow and push out other wildflowers, so weeding them out is a regular and essential task in summer.

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The perfect way to cut very long grass is by using a scythe. If you perfect the action and keep the blade sharp, you’ll get through it in no time. When scything you can hear the birds - this is a much more peaceful option that using a brushcutter.

For cutting a more traditional lawn you have the choice of using a rotary or cylinder mower. A cylinder mower will give you the stripy look.

I’ve recently invested in a battery powered rotary mower and would highly recommend this over a petrol mower for a small to average size garden. Just charge the battery up, slot it in and off you go. No cables or fuel to worry about.

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When it comes to watering your lawn – don’t. Lawns will go brown in summer if the weather is dry, but they will bounce back. By watering you’ll simply waste time, energy, and water.

A little rain dancing on the lawn bare foot is a much better use of your time.

If you're looking to take your gardening to the next level, why not start working towards gaining your RHS Level 2 Certificate in Principles of Horticulture. This is an internationally recognised qualification which can often lay the foundations for a career change.