15 Questions About the Lawn (Part 1)
84.5% of the 14,168,000 French gardens have a lawn, which means there are 11,972,000 lawns with an average area of 564m2 in main residences and 1,118m2 in secondary residences, that is, a surface of around 639,000 hectares. But for the ordinary French gardener, the lawn is still just “grass” – it is not considered as a plant apart. The “Lawn” commission of the “Promojardin” association has set up a nationwide campaigne to improve the quality of lawns. The first step of this campaigne is the renovation of lawns, 70% of which are more than 10 years old.
(statistiques : Sofres, TMO and Promojardin).
1. What is a lawn ?
t is a mixture of grass seeds (or Poacae in botanical language) from various species (ryegrass, meadowgrass, bentgrass, fescue, etc..) each of which has diffferent qualities and characteristics and none of which can individually offer the advantages of the mixture of these seeds.
After sowing, grass produces a regular, homogenous and decorative green area which we call a “lawn”. A lawn follows the principle of biodiversity, which means that a given environment should be occupied by differnet species, the mixture of which makes the individual species stronger.
When forraging plants like white clover, or alfalfa, even flowers like cornflowers or poppies, are mixed with the lawn, the result is not a lawn, it is a prairie.
2. Why do we make mixed lawns ?
The composition (choice of species and varieties, and also the proportions of the mixture) varies according to the final use of the lawn : sport or games, decoration, ornamentation, etc.. The growing conditions also influence the mixture : dry ground, shady areas, seaside, Mediterranean climate, etc.. We also have mixtures created specially for new lawns and those which are used for renovation. The speed of installation of the different species is also taken into account, as is the weight of the seeds in the percentage of each grass from which the lawn is composed.
3. Why are the compositions so different ?
When we read the composdition of the lawn on the box or sack of seeds, we notice that different grasses are present in varying proportions. The variation is due to the final use of the lawn, but especially due to the sophistication of the seed.
For example, for the same volume, we count a third less of ryegrass seeds or raised fescue (700 seeds/g.) than red fescue (1,000 seeds/g.), which is in turn twice as big as the Sheep’s fescue (2,000 seeds/g.). As for bentgrass, it is by far the thinnest with 15,000 seeds/g. A lawn composed of 5% bentgrass and 50% ryegrass contains three times less seeds than simple ryegrass !
4. Does a universal, all-purpose lawn exist ?
No, because the soil conditions, the climate and the use are often totally different in France. Each use corresponds to a type of lawn : rustic, decoration, sport, sun, shade, seaside, renovation, etc.. It is important to choose the right grass for the appropriate use, because if it isn’t adapted, it will grow badty and will allow weeds to develop.
5. How to define a “good quality” lawn and what criteria should we use ?
Avoid very cheap mixtures, as they are composed of low-quality varieties and not seeds which come from the latest research, which are selected because of their high performance. The “Red Label” lawns are a guarantee of top quality.
By choosing French-made lawns, gardeners have the guarantee of some of the strictest quality controls and traceability in Europe.