Lawns

The dictionary defines lawn as a stretch of carefully tended turf or fine linen, something that is cared for of high quality. Lawns, the turfed kind, have always been pivotal in English gardens. Recorded images of lawns can be located on medieval tapestries dating from about 1060 AD. Then they were flowery meads cut with a scythe and rolled. The flowery mead often provided the medieval garden with the majority of its flowers. Compared to the lawn of today the medieval flowery mead was relatively self-sufficient with regard to maintenance.

 

Until 1830 lawns were cut with a scythe. Edwin Beard revolutionised the cutting of the lawn by inventing the lawn mower. E. Beard worked in the textile industry and borrowed the idea from a machine that 'shaved' fabric. The grass cutting machine was pushed along and had a narrow cutting width and it proved perfect for the small suburban garden. By 1858 some 7,000 machines had been sold.

 

Today lawns are tended to and coveted acquiring more of the image associated with fine linen. The lawns prior to the 1830s by today's standards are more likely to be known as meadows. Today there is a growing trend back towards the flowery mead. They are ecological and save on hours of maintenance. Design Outside can advise on all aspects of lawns, including budget, planting and maintenance schedules.