You and Your Lawn
The word lawn comes from the Celtic word Launde or Lande,
denoting an uncultivated or untilled and infertile area covered with
ferns, broom or heath, certainly not the modern idea of what a lawn
is or should be. Because this name conveyed the idea of an expanse
of open space, the word gradually came to mean an open grassy glade
in the forest.
It was in this sense that Tennyson spoke when he wrote, "Those
long, rank dark wood walks, drenched in dew, leading from lawn to
lawn." From this evolved the idea of more or less natural, grassy
open spaces, not in woodland but surrounding a house and separating
it from the fields and woods. And, of course, the present-day
concept of a lawn is of an unbroken expanse of manicured emerald
sward, perfect as a golf green.
As a matter of fact, much of our difficulty with lawns and their
upkeep comes from this ideal cherished by the average homeowner —the
incredible perfection of a golf green in peak condition. For most of
us, it is an impossible ideal. Nevertheless, we often see a man
whose grounds are shaded by magnificent trees, struggling to produce
a perfect expanse of sun-loving grasses that will match the popular
concept of what should surround a suburban home. (For those of you
who fit this description, I have a two-part suggestion: Read on
through this book's chapters on the various difficulties and
possibilities of lawn-making and upkeep. If your "problem spot" for
grass is not solved, then turn to the suggestions on groundcovers in
Chapter 10. You'll find there are groundcover plants to suit every
situation, and with them you need not tolerate a mangy look anywhere
on your property.)
You and Your Lawn
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