Books on Lawncare

Please click on the underlined links for more information on each title.

The Lawn Expert by D G Hessayon.

From almost medieval times the lawn has been an integral part of the well-planned garden. Only the soul-less would deny the pleasure of walking barefoot on a cool green sward on a warm summer day. The lawn is more than a functional space--it is commonly part of the fantasy garden that we at least daydream about if not achieve.

Whatever your hopes and expectations The New Lawn Expert can provide you with a good head start as Dr Hessayon offers his trademark clear explanations and easy-to-follow guidance. If you are starting from scratch then here we have everything from preparing the ground to the care of the established lawn. If you have an area of grass that fails to measure up to the title "lawn", then help is at hand as troubles are identified and remedies provided.

The book has excellent step-by-step diagrams providing information and more importantly solutions to every conceivable problem during every month of the year. You might well be a devoted lawn manager with an enviable green sward but still you may have problems--lawns are like that--which is almost part of the obsession. This book then should provide a pleasurable and potentially restorative read. --T W Falinska

Lawn Care for Dummies (For Dummies) by Lance Walheim and the NGA.

Only one thing is standing between you and a fabulous lawn: It's called Lawn Care For Dummies. If you want a spiffy and well-coifed lawn (and not the overgrown, unruly one that people comment on when they pass by your house), you'll find everything you need to know to help you make your lawn the most dazzling spectacle on the block.Let authors Lance Walheim and the gardening experts at the National Gardening Association treat you and your yard to a megadose of lawn care information. In Lawn Care For Dummies, Walheim and the NGA give you the dirt on all the essentials, including how to * Design a low-maintenance or a high-maintenance lawn* Evaluate the pros and cons of planting a lawn from seed or starting one from sod* Discover how often you need to water your lawn without under-watering it or waterlogging it* Choose a mower that's right for your grass type* Deal effectively with wicked weeds and pesky insects* Create alternative lawns, such as ground cover plants, decks, and patios Lawn Care For Dummies also features a beautiful color insert with photos illustrating the various types of lawns found in yards across the world.

The Lawn Bible: How to Keep It Green, Groomed, and Growing Every Season of the Year by David Mellor.

Most home owners, even non-gardeners want an attractive lawn. It is, after all, one of the largest aspects of most suburban homes, it’s what the visitor and the passer-by sees first - and those first impressions are so-o-o important. And most home owners are not too happy with their lawn. It has bare spots, moss, weeds and the track left by the paper delivery person. These home owners need “The Lawn Bible”.

Written by Fenway Park’s master groundskeeper (it's the American equivalent of Headingley cricket ground), who has faced more grass issues than the rest of us put together, it has everything the grass-grower needs to make him or her the lawn meister of the neighbourhood. The writer stats by taking a look at a single grass plant and moves on to discuss the most basic element of a good lawn - the soil. He discusses seeding, instant lawns, watering, mowing (including your own design of stripes) replacing old lawns, weeds, insect pests and diseases. There is no question I could think to ask about lawns and grass that isn’t addressed in this book, ands all the information is arranged logically so that I wouldn’t have to spend too much time searching. For anyone who needed further information there is a list of Internet resources at the end.

I’m usually a bit wary of books calling themselves “The Bible of....” but this book really provides all the leadership and advice you need about lawns. Written by a master whose lawns and grass are wide open to the criticism of thousands each week, you can be confident the book is authoritative. It also has quotes from groundskeepers of other well-known sports fields.

If your lawn doesn’t look good to you, invest in this book. It’s readable, the material well arranged and presented, and it tells you all you’ll ever need to know about lawns, and although written for the American market it is a valuable resource anywhere in the world.

Watering System s for Lawn and Garden: A Do-it-yourself Guide (A Storey Publishing book)by R Dodge Woodson.

Written in straightforward language for readers with no previous engineering or plumbing experience, this guide to small-scale irrigation systems for the garden offers advice and information on determining one's watering needs, selecting the most appropriate and economical system, and installing the system or finding someone else to do it. The systems discussed include sprinklers, soaker hoses, drip systems, gravity distribution systems, overhead irrigation, water sources and pump tyres.

Building a Healthy Lawn: A Safe and Natural Approach by Stuart Franklin.

Explains how lawns grow, and offers advice on mowing, watering, fertilizing, soil building, weed control, ground covers, and mulches and much more.

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