Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Lawn

I love old books. With that in mind, you won't be surprised that, a few years back, I scooped up a set of 4 books labeled The Audel's Grower's Guide. Having been published in the 1920s, they are quite amusing, but they contain wonderful information. Here's one of my favorite tidbits:

An English gardener when asked how to make a lawn replied: "Oh, it's quite easy, quite easy, I assure you. You prepare the ground carefully, and you sow it with a mixture of the best grades of lawn grass seed, and then all you have to do is roll it for about 300 years. And there you are."

Biggify the picture to verify that's what it says, but Audel's does acknowledge that it's not that hard.

So, my yard started out as a cow pasture around 1820 or 1830, then became a back yard around 1923, in which horses grazed happily until perhaps the 1940s or 1950s. I doubt it was ever seeded.

How am I doing after less than 200 years?

Happy Garden Tuesday!

11 comments:

Sue said...

Making us very jealous. Our brown dusty patch that we call a lawn is beyond help.

STELLA and RORY from Down Under said...

Well Marjie, you are making us jealous too. Your flat backyard is fabulous. Living in the Adelaide Hills there aren't too many flat yards and I would just love to have one. Also we seem to cultivate weeds more than grass. Have a great day. No worries, and love, Carol (and Stella and Rory) P.S. Hope your daughter is feeling OK.

Linda said...

Whatever you and other'd did you did VERY well!

~~louise~~ said...

I read once that the only reason home owners in the US have lawns is because we copied from the English. Personally, I'm not much of a lawn type person. Too much work, too much labor, water and energy. And then, you gotta rake, UG

I know, strange coming from a person who loves to play in the dirt. Your lawn looks lovely. Maybe I'm just jealous!!!

Thanks for sharing, Marjie...

SissySees said...

I'm with Louise. Luckily, I have the Knight and he has a new mower that remained fun all summer. We can always call the lawn service back I suppose...

Pam said...

How funny! I love looking at old books and the funny things they say. Your yard is stunning!

pam said...

Gracious! that looks like it could be a golf course. Beautiful!!!

pam said...

That is quite the impressive lawn! I love old gardening books!

The Blonde Duck said...

I've decided I'm calling you Mama Marjie.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I can almost see the horses back there...

Mary said...

I am way WAY past jealous! Living in the desert = a very brown yard. Green occasionally, but never by accident. 200+ years of not maintaining it would do nothing but roll in the tumbleweeds. ha ha. Your yard is gorgeous!