What do you think of manicured lawns?

[ChrisL]

I like the st augustine grass here in florida because it has the appearance of manicured when mowed regularly, but is so tough it can be used and abused anyway. I like a nice lawn, but never been a fan of a yard I cant be on/in/around whenever it pleases me

 

[OursIsTheFury]

It's culture, I agree. An unkempt lawn is a sign of being an irresponsible house owner, and would look terribly in front of your neighbors. I really don't understand why, but I guess people want the neighborhood to look "good", and even just one house with an unkempt lawn would look terrible for everyone who lives in the area. It's really annoying though, but social norms and all that. Gotta follow it or be branded a rebel.

 

[remnant]

Manicured loans look impersonal and view don't soothe the senses when contrasted with those which are just trimmed. They tend to eliminate other interesting plants which grow randomly and make the lawn personalised or customised by nature. Otherwise, one could as well buy a green carpet which would have few maintenance costs.

 

[maxen57]

Where I'm from, a manicured lawn is something only rich folks can afford but not totally mandatory. It was unheard of until I saw it on American shows with people obsessing over it. We have a small garden with a small carpet of carabao grass that had browned because it's summer here. During the wet season, it goes into full lush green mode. I like watching seasons changing through the natural cycle of things.

 

[SirJoe]

They can look good provided it's not a big expanse and there are some flower beds surrounding them. I find it a bit boring when all you have is just perfectly cut lawn. I don't like the shapes they sometimes cut into the lawn, they end up looking a bit dated.

 

[NatalieW]

I like that everyone is different and we are able to do as we please in our own spaces. I live in a neighborhood where most of the houses sit on manicured lawns without a weed in sight ... then there are a few that really don't care ... and then there is my house... I'm the herbalist on the corner that refuses to apply poisons to her plants... so yes, I have weeds... but I also love a well kept clean lawn that we seed and fertilize. I like it mowed and trimmed and well kept. If the grass is cut too short it gets brown and ugly, so we mow on the highest setting. The gardens look better against a well kept yard than they do one that is not cared for.

 

[Kimberly Shoup]

I don't like manicured lawns but I also don't like overgrown yards. I would prefer we all had edible yards! Grow food not grass! Unless of course you are feeding cattle then grass is needed!

I also like yards that looked lived in. I have 3 kids and my yard is definitely played in!

 

[Wobblycogs]

I like a lawn to be reasonably flat, green, and weed free. If the grass is maybe 25 to 30 mm long that's fine. It's lush, and you can see if there is anything nasty, you might step in or on, if you like walking through dewy grass in the early summer mornings! A lawn like that demands a certain amount of work, but weekly mowing isn't necessary.

I have just started to rescue my lawn after enforced neglect. So I am merely going to feed and mow, feed and mow, ad nauseum, twice a week. Any of the larger weeds I will use a 'spot' weedkiller and get shot of them that way, without broadcasting weedkiller everywhere. Every so often I'll mix grass seed with John Innes, and broadcast it. This I hope will help the grass choke out the weeds, instead of the other way around!

 

[kgord]

Lawns that are excessively "groomed" so to speak even though they look nice, I think may be the sign of an obsessive personality. I am all for things looking good, but I have way too much to do, to spend time making sure each blade of grass is the same length. Unless you own a golf course..I think maybe spending lots of time on your lawn is sort of a vanity thing, and if you enjoy it great..but it is not for me.

 

[MartySue]

I love to look at a manicured lawn, but who has time for babying a yard when there is work, and reading, and dishes, and yes, television! to get to? It's about all I can do to keep my yard mowed, let alone new seed and taking care of the flower beds, etc. Thank goodness, my irises are self-propagating and the elephant ears grow like crazy and the four o'clocks don't mind if they don't get watered for a week or so. Otherwise, I have no green thumb to speak of, or they'd all be dead.

But I do love looking at other people's yards who spend hours and hours making sure the hedges are just perfect, and the trees are trimmed back and the edging is done. It is very beautiful to look at.

 

[kgord]

I have a neighbor well actually he is in this subdivision, but not that close. He has the "perfect Lawn" He is a single retired guy though. I think he has little to do honestly, other than keep his lawn in pristine condition. Maybe if I wasn't consumed with basic survival, I might pay more attention to my lawn, but it is difficult. I am trying to patch th bare spots though.

 

[abonnen]

I have never had a manicured lawn in my life, but i do have soft of manicured garden. I think making a big fuss how grass is cut is a little silly. I mow our lawn myself with a push mower, my main reason for mowing is to kept the bugs down, and to not get fined from the city. Plus we run around on our lawn a lot with the dogs so it would just not be worth it to use to have a manicured lawn.

 

[Garing]

I've been jokingly told by my friends that I'm borderline OCD. Everything around me has to be neat and tidy. If I'm going to have lawn around my house, then it definitely has to be manicured. Having a manicured lawn doesn't mean that kids can't play on it, or people cannot walk on it any more than having a beautiful white expensive couch in your home doesn't mean that your visitors shouldn't sit down in your lounge.

 

[Robert Cummings]

There is in fact quite a skill in maintaining an immaculate lawn as they are very susceptible to every horticultural problem known to mankind the professional groundsman needs his witts about him if he is to keep his sward in top condition. On a coastal golf course where I was working the golf course manager had a bore hole and pump installed so as his staff could water without using mains water, unfortunately he did not test the water and it contained high levels of salt, this burned the fairways and the members of the club were very angry, the gentleman nearly lost his job but due to his length of service saved him from being dismissed. My point here is that whether you are the manager of a golf course or just someone with a pocket hankerchief for a lawn, if lawns are your thing then be prepared for the high maintenance, personally a well maintained lawn looks great to me but then so does a wild flower meadow and much in between.

 

[Verdun]

Agree with Robert.....
A high class manicured lawn is something difficult, very difficult, to achieve.
To start with you need to decide if you want a lawn to be superb to look at or good to "play on".
I intended a first class lawn a few years ago.....the finest grade seed, the very best prep, the best lawnmower (cylinder) and got the "knowledge". It became almost an obsession because it required so much work. I soon learned the finest grasses are not the most robust in practice too.
I still have a good lawn....well, 2 good lawns.....but I have replaced with a fine rye seed and have raised the cutting height. I cut twice a week, still like my stripes, feed in spring and again during the summer and topdress in autumn or spring. Autumn raking too prior to top dressing. The higher cut produces a greener lawn and it is soft to play and sit on. The higher cut also makes it more resilient during the summer. No obsession with it now....well, I still want to keep it looking good.
A decent lawn sets off the garden perfectly
Disagree with Robert about a wild flower meadow......fine if you have a meadow but in an average size garden it usually looks weedy, unkempt and awful. Besides those lawn weeds soon become persistent garden weeds