We 'do good grass' in this country, writes landscape architect Deirdre Black, who has some tips for cultivating the perfect sward
Nature, even in its most humble incarnations, offers all manner of delights. Of these, it would be hard to top the simple pleasure of stepping barefoot into the yielding sensuality of lush Irish grass. And that's just the start of it - there is, of course, the importantly idle business of daisy-chain construction or of studying the unfurling adventures of a ladybird making its way along a blade of grass. Don't get me started on the smell of the first cut or the panorama of 40 shades spied from a homeward-bound aeroplane window.
We do good grass in this country - it's everywhere. If agricultural grasslands, golf courses, parks and private gardens are taken into account, 85 per cent of Ireland is under grass of one kind or another.
Our national lawn is, of course, mainly a product of agriculture, with 93 per cent of all agricultural land maintained as grass by machinery or animals. The continuation of this patchwork landscape is dependent on agricultural practices, cessation of which would result in a reversion to scrubby woodland within only a few years. Perhaps 30 or 40 years from now, driving through the new woodland landscapes, you'll catch yourself saying to the grandchildren - "I remember when this was all fields."
Most private gardens contribute a portion of their area to the national lawn. The mown grass surface is about as ubiquitous as garden features get, but this was not always the case. It was not until the great estate gardens of the 18th and 19th centuries that the lawn became the ultimate symbol of nature tamed - like nature, only better. Philosophical and artistic musings had fuelled the fascination with "idealised natures". The theory was made manifest by Brown, Repton and other garden designers, with the development, among other things, of the endless green vista, interspersed by clumps of trees and mown by an army of sheep. The lawn was a version of ordered, anthropocentric nature - the sense of control (and the lawn) extended as far as the eye could see.
The modern mini-lawn is a scaled-down version of these extensive designed landscapes. The standard 21st-century lawn is cut once a week - usually not by sheep - and maintained as an apparent monoculture with chemical assistance, until it reaches our required level of homogeneity and luminosity.
It is natural to want to manipulate your environment to your tastes; it's what we humans do, have always done. There are, however, other ways to treat grassy areas, both in the private garden and in the wider public landscape. A first step is to forgo the use of chemicals on the lawn. Grass is perhaps the most intimate plant in the garden, the one we have most regular tactile contact with, and it makes logical sense not to treat it as a chemical dump. The following tips will allow you maintain a neat lawn, while avoiding toxic overload.
Another option is to change your concept of the lawn entirely. What's so wrong with daisies, buttercups or the odd dandelion? You could see them as lawn jewellery. With this in mind, you can also think about adding to the jewellery collection with some crocus or snowdrops. The flowers emerge in spring while the grass is relatively dormant, and you can mow the lot with the first cut. Chamomile, with its small daisy-like flowers, is also a good occasional addition to a grass sward - mowing becomes a full-on aromatherapeutic experience.
The ultimate breakaway from the shackles of the traditional lawn is the planting and maintaining of a wildflower meadow. In larger gardens, this should be an option for at least the further flung areas. Replacing a lawn with a wildflower meadow has many benefits, most obviously by attracting wildlife and but also by saving energy wasted through lawnmower use. Making a Wildflower Meadow by Pam Lewis is a useful book, available from Walnut Books, www.walnutbooks.com. The website for the Irish wildflower company, Design by Nature, www.allgowild.com, provides useful information on seed mixtures and maintenance.