Lawn Positioning
A lawn is usually a vital element to a garden design and often a key part of a client’s brief. However, the positioning of the lawn within the garden is not always given the consideration it deserves.
Here are a few things to consider when deciding where to position the lawn in your garden:
The aspect of your garden
Lawns do best in sunny positions within the garden, so the aspect of the garden is your first consideration when planning a design.
If your lawn is constantly in shade, it may become patchy, pale, and long. If your garden is North facing, consider moving your lawn towards the back of the garden.
Proximity to trees and large shrubs
A regular problem with gardens I visit is that the lawn is laid under mature trees and shrubs. This often results in patchy, poor looking lawns, where the grass is outcompeted for light, nutrients, and water by the tree/shrubs.
To avoid this, if possible, I design lawns so that they are positioned away from large trees and shrubs,to give them the best chance to establish and thrive.
How wet is your garden?
Drainage is also a key factor for a successful lawn. Lawns do not like to be waterlogged; a constantly wet lawn can lead to pale, patchy grass in areas where water sits.
If you have a particularly naturally boggy area of your garden, I will avoid designing the lawn in this area.
If your garden as a whole is often waterlogged, this is likely to be down to poor drainage. In this scenario we ensure a soakaway or other drainage solution is incorporated into the garden during the construction phase, opening up more possibilities for where the lawn can be sited.
What will the lawn be used for?
When considering the position of a lawn within a design, a key question is what the lawn will be used for – the answer will often help to determine the best place for it.
For example, if it is going to be regularly used as a play space, it makes sense to have it close enough to the house to keep an eye on the children from inside – but you may also not want it to be the focus of the design, as it’ll likely feature play equipment!
If the lawn is purely aesthetic than it provides a good way of visually linking different areas of the garden together and often works best central to the design. Lawns close to seating areas can give a lovely open feel to a design as it gives an uninterrupted view from a patio.