January 2017

It is said that a lawn is unsustainable and consumes vast quantities of chemical fertiliser and garden lime to stay viable.  Most organic gardeners refuse to grow them. 

I believe my lawn is sustainable and a net contributor to my garden ecosystem.  The only additive this lawn requires is a little homemade compost each year (about 20 litres sieved as a top dressing in September, and 15 litres of aerated compost tea each month applied as a drench using a watering can).  Irrigation is provided when needed using a sub-turf drip line system.

Because I keep the grass thick, evaporation is not a major problem even in very hot dry weather.  The lawn manages very well with a weekly 2 hour soak in extreme conditions, and 1 hour in more moderate summer conditions.  In the cooler months it usually copes well with just rainwater.

When mowed, it's a very useful source of green (high nitrogen) organic waste for the hot composting system.   I think I get about 400 litres of clippings a year off this lawn.

Rugged red Canna Lillies, blue Agapanthus and Euphorbias look good in the hottest weather, and provide a pleasant setting for the lawn.

These Coleus love the shade provided by my Apricot tree.  I propagate them from cuttings every year in late summer, and keep them under glass all winter before planting them out in spring.

October 2016.

These Spanish Bluebells look good under the canopy of the Silver Birch tree.

The Seaside Daisies have lived in this protected sunny spot for well over 20 years.  They always look good at this time of year and continue to flower throughout the rest of the year with very little attention.

My Californian Lilac is getting a bit big for my small garden, but it is magnificent with its small shiny dark green leaves and striking fragrance.  I will cut it back hard after it has finished flowering to control its size.

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There are just a few small bare patches to grow into before I consider the new lawn established, but with its sub surface drip irrigation and bed of well fed organic soil it has surprised and delighted me.

Its only 3 weeks since the turf was laid and maintenance began.  The lawn is watered in the evening for an hour every 3rd day, except when the weather is very hot (over 35 deg C).  In these conditions I ensure the whole garden is watered on that day, scheduled or not.

I am mowing the lawn regularly (3 times so far), and plan to top dress it with organic lawn food every 3 months during the growing season.

January 2016

Its mid January in Melbourne and the new lawn is growing strongly and filling in gaps between the rolls of turf.  I have been sub turf irrigating for an hour every 3 days for the past couple of weeks, and growth has been excellent.  I have had to give it a light trim with the lawn mower already, and I am fairly confident it will withstand the usual extremely hot and windy conditions in February.

These lovely New Guinea Impatiens are beautiful plants which grow well in filtered light and very warm conditions.  I have grown them in the past and they self seed well in the open garden.  At the moment, it suits me to buy a few well developed plants just coming into flower for a burst of colour under the drab canopy of my apricot tree.  I use the shade cloth to stop birds digging the potting mix.

December 2015

I have spent a lot of time and energy in recent years developing and constructing my organic low water use vegetable garden,  and during this time I have neglected my ornamental garden especially my wife's beloved front lawn.

This picture shows the lawn stripped of its topsoil, dug to about 300mm into virgin soil and fitted with a simple sub turf drip irrigation system.  The design of our front garden has one eye on low maintenance for our old age, and is structured and very basic, but the plants will make up for that I hope.

We already have herbs, dwarf fruit trees, raspberry canes and a grape vine growing in this area and the lawn will provide a welcome and regular supply of green leaf for my compost heap. 

Here it is again a few weeks later looking a bit bare, but the turf was laid in 37 deg C heat unfortunately.  The bare ground was covered with about 30mm of home made compost and 8 bags of aged cow manure, watered and left to mature under shadecloth for a few days.  It was then irrigated every day for 3 days prior to laying the turf.

Since then the new lawn has been soaked again from above (sprinklers), and then drip irrigated for an hour every day for a week.  I am slowly reducing this to an hour every 3 days to encourage the roots to go down deep.  Once established the lawn will be irrigated with all the other irrigated beds as needed.

My irrigation system is able to water 3 separate zones independently, and I anticipate the lawn's zone will be least irrigated in time.