Designing Beautiful Borders

The first cut is not the deepest - time to mow!

I am a self confessed minimalist when it comes to lawn care. This is because a weedless, bright green swath requires serious dedication, not to mention various timely applications of herbicides and nutrients, which for lots of reasons, I don't subscribe to. That being said, a nice looking lawn does have its aesthetic benefits, providing a nice foil to "show off" your plants and something green to look at during the winter months. In short, it’s worth putting some effort in!

It has finally dried out enough to do the first spring mow of the year, so for a "good enough" lawn, this is what I suggest.

If you have a small lawn, it is definitely beneficial to begin by giving the lawn a non-vigorous rake through using a spring-tine rake. This clears away any surface debris and also lifts up the grass which may have become flattened by three months of relentless rain, plus any foot traffic across soggy or frozen grass. By doing this, you will get a much better cut. 

After creating a very shaggy looking lawn, you are then ready to mow. It is tempting to remove all that old winter growth and cut the lawn as short as you can, but don't!  Set the mower onto a high blade and just remove the top of the grass. Close cutting can result in severe yellowing and is not good for the lawn at this time of the year. 

You should be able to get away with only two cuts during March. Great news if you are also a lawn minimalist!