Nothing says a garden is loved quite like a neatly mown lawn with crisp edges. It is also the easiest thing to get wrong: cut too short or too rarely, and the lawn that should set off the borders instead lets the whole garden down.
Don't scalp it
The commonest mistake is mowing too low in the belief it means cutting less often. A scalped lawn goes yellow, dries out and lets weeds and moss move in. Aim to take off no more than a third of the height at any one cut.
Mow often, in summer
Through the growing season a weekly cut keeps the grass dense and healthy.
- Set the blades higher in a drought to protect the roots.
- Mow in different directions each week to avoid ruts.
- Keep the blade sharp; a blunt one tears and browns the tips.
The magic of a clean edge
A sharp edge where the lawn meets the border does more for the look of a garden than almost anything. Cut a clean line with a half-moon edging iron in spring, then keep it trim through summer with long-handled shears after each mow.
Leave the clippings sometimes
In dry spells, leaving the fine clippings on the lawn returns moisture and nutrients, a practice called grasscycling. In a wet summer, though, collect them so they do not smother the grass into a soggy, yellowing mat.