No matter how much time and effort is put into the maintenance of flower borders, rockeries, and trimming and shaping bushes and hedges, without a well maintained, flat, green lawn, all that effort can be to no avail. It makes little difference how much of a blaze of colour comes from the beds of flowering annuals; the eye is invariably drawn to the brown, bare, and mossy patches of the poorly maintained lawn.
Attaining that bowling-green lawn in the first place, can go all the way back to its roots – literally – and the decision whether to use grass seed, or turf, when the lawn is first put down.
It is true that in certain areas of Australia, such as Templestowe and Mitcham, which have a cooler, wetter climate, some grasses such as fescue and rye will establish themselves from seed. Nonetheless, as the weather warms toward a hot summer, it will take the years of experience gained by companies that undertake garden maintenance services and lawn mowing in Templestowe to keep the lawn in good condition.
In almost every case, when you admire the beautiful healthy lawns and landscaped grounds of some of Victoria’s most historic houses, the lawns would have been originally laid in turf. Grasses such as Platinum Zoysia, Nullarbor Couch, Eureka Kikuyu, and Sir Walter Buffalo, are some of the most well known turf grasses, and there is a very good reason why they can’t be grown from seed.
Grown by specialist turf producing companies around Australia, these grasses are classified as ‘male sterile’, and won’t grow from seed. They have to have a live vegetative source in order to germinate, and it is a skilled and difficult process, even for the professionals.
No matter what the inside of our home is like, it is only viewed by family, friends, and invited guests. Our gardens, on the other hand, can be seen by all who pass by. If you are considering having a new lawn laid, or indeed finding it increasingly harder work trying to keep your existing lawn in good condition, consider contacting the professionals. If you live in Victoria State, contact a company which undertakes garden maintenance services and lawn mowing in Mitcham or Templestowe, such as Acre Lawns. They will be able to fully explain the pros-and-cons of turf over seed, and can help return a failing lawn to its former glory. After all, a healthy green lawn will be the visual icing for those flower borders you lavish so much care and attention on.
Sources:
Fact Sheet: Step by Step Lawns, Gardening Australia
Lawn Types in Australia, The Lawn Guide