GARDENING: lawns should be used rather than simply exist

MAYBE I’m rebelling against the genetic disposition of the British whose love affair with the lawn is the stuff of legend and countless books documenting this curious phenomenon, writes TOM ATTWOOD. In my opinion lawns should be used rather than simply exist for the sake of it. To maintain a half decent sward they require reasonably regular upkeep and I’d always rather divert that energy to other tasks in the garden. But I do also appreciate that for a great number of people and indeed many of my gardening friends, the perfect lawn in their eye is beauty personified. We have a small circular lawn with a healthy population of uninvited weeds growing in it for the kids. It’s used regularly forming the perfect fall friendly space where anything goes. What I cannot understand is the solitary unused green square that millions of homes have in their front garden. Something no more time consuming and infinitely more inspiring could be created to enjoy every time you enter your house (this is controversial I know but sometimes it’s good to rock the boat). An existing lawn area can be 'de-turfed' (for largish areas it’d be worth hiring a turf cutter) dug over, mulched and planted. For a space that keeps maintenance to a minimum that bare soil can be covered with a permeable membrane, mulched with gravel and planting spaces created to plant through. With the right plant choices you can create winter interest utilising the qualities of evergreen shrubs and grasses and still have space for a small number of floriferous hardy perennials to create a dynamic, inspiring display. Space, the depth of soil you have to work with and how much sunlight there is, will of course dictate how many plants you can use but even the smallest area can be planted to inspire you from both the inside and outside of your home. Next time you have to drag the mower out to the front garden just ask yourself whether a different tack might be worth contemplating.