Lawn care in the summer

Ruth looks at ways of helping grass cope with drought

- Ruth Hayes

LAWNS are often the busiest areas of the garden in the summer, so they need looking after to keep them healthy.

However, they are also the patch of garden most vulnerable to the effects of summer weather, be it hot, dry spells that frizzle the grass, or torrential seasonal storms that cause waterlogging.

They can start to look a bit frayed at the edges as the demarcation between lawn and border breaks down when grass starts to grow long and straggly between the two.

There are several key jobs to do throughout the summer that will keep your lawn in good nick.

The first obvious one is mowing. At this time of year, when there is still some moisture in the soil, grass will be growing fast, so try to mow once a week or every 10 days, keeping your grass at around 1in (2.5cm) in length for an attractive, even sward.