Have Garden Institutions Let Lawn Care Down?
Have Garden Institutions Let Lawn Care Down?: David Hedges-Gower, Chairman of the Lawn Association wants to know…are garden institutions letting lawn care down?
Visit a stately home, a large private estate, or just about any garden, and you’ll find a good old lawn—a piece of grass that often takes up most of the garden’s space. Figures suggest there are 20 million lawns in the UK, but when you factor in the countless other grassy areas outside gardens, that number could easily double or more. Yet, if you attend garden shows and retail events, you might think lawns barely exist.
Have Garden Institutions Let Lawn Care Down?
So why is that?
Lawn care is a massive industry. Lawn mower manufacturers, lawn treatment companies, fertiliser brands, tool producers, and irrigation companies make up a thriving market. So, why do many of these companies avoid garden shows? Do they not see the potential audience, or have large institutions sidelined lawn care to the extent that they no longer see the point?
Lawn care doesn’t have a dedicated show. But maybe it should? If gardening institutions aren’t even supportive of sustainable lawn care, perhaps lawn care needs to stand on its own. It seems absurd, given that lawns are an integral part of gardens, not just sports fields or cricket pitches.
Lawns, like all aspects of gardening, are evolving. We’re rethinking herbicide usage, watering practices, and all aspects of lawn maintenance. ‘No Mow May’ has become popular, but also raises contradictions. Should there be a ‘No Weed Your Garden in May’ too?
Is it hypocritical to bash lawns when those holding the microphone simply don’t want them? Where’s the neutrality? And is this institutional neglect partly why lawns are in decline, leading to the rise of artificial grass? It may sound extreme, but once upon a time, artificial grass was promoted as the latest trend at some of these garden shows. Now, with its environmental downsides becoming clear, the same institutions are scrambling to campaign against it—though true campaigns usually require more than just a change in PR narrative.
Lawns and grasslands cover much of the UK, and not everyone is keen on initiatives like ‘No Mow May’ especially when a lawn is the heart of their garden. Should we then start spreading weed seeds in borders to boost pollination elsewhere? The garden shows often feel like a scripted act, while I’m just the heckler trying to get a word in edgewise.
How can these institutions flippantly comment on lawn care while categorising anyone with a lawn as environmentally irresponsible? Where is their informed, unbiased perspective? I’m all for making gardening more eco-friendly, but there’s plenty of hypocrisy in this debate. When lawns are unfairly targeted, I’ll always speak up—especially when the criticisms don’t hold water.
And is gardening we see on television also to blame? When it does appear every few years, the effort, the advice and the knowledge means it’s little wonder lawns fail and are seen as too tricky to keep.
As Mark Twain once said, “When you speak the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” The truth is, garden institutions have let down lawns, homeowners, and our environment.
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