With spring in full swing, now is the time to enjoy the outdoors: our gardens, local parks – in fact, any green space at all. Did you know just how much Brits obsess about green space? That 9 out of 10 of us actively seek green space several times a week to help us relax from the daily grind?

Read on for more exclusive stats on the therapeutic benefits of green space, alongside top tips for creating the perfect lawn from EverGreen® for an enviable green space of your own come summertime.

  • Nearly half of Brits (49%) say lawn is the ‘mow-st’ important part of the garden to them
  • One in 10 Brits don’t own a garden and obsess about spending time in nature
  • More than nine out of 10 (95%) people seek out green space near work or home several times per week
  • Stressed Brits use green space to relax (67%)

Following a long and cold winter, the delightful sound of lawn mowers buzzing and birds chirping can be heard once more. And with sunshine bringing optimism and warmer days, a younger millennial audience is turning to increased time spent outside with 94% of people claiming they love the impact that the sights and smells of spring and summer has on their mood.

New research from EverGreen® has found that to nearly half of Brits (49%) grass and lawn is the most important part of their garden. It provides them with a place to let the stresses of the daily grind fall away with more than two thirds (67%) saying that sitting on a lawn makes them feel relaxed and at ease.

In fact, the lawn is such an important facet of the quintessential English garden, UK garden-lovers report they feel embarrassed (32%), stressed (24%) and anxious (16%) when their lawn is untidy.

The one in 10 Brits who don’t own a garden, regularly seek out their own patch of turf to enjoy, no matter how small. An impressive 96% visit locations close to their workplace and home in order to be surrounded by nature (58%), enjoy the smell of grass (40%) and the comfort being outside brings (40%). The number living without a garden increases to one in five people living in urban areas such as London, Southampton and Brighton.

More than six out of 10 (61%) people nationwide seek out green space more than three times each week with this figure increasing for those living in London (67.5%).

Of course, if you are lucky enough to have a garden, EverGreen® Super Seed can be used to cultivate the perfect patch of grass to enjoy when the sun comes out. So, whether you enjoy socialising with friends, reading a book or dining al fresco, the lawn will be in perfect condition.

Joanna Weston, Digital Marketing Manager at Scotts Miracle-Gro® said: “In our digital age, it’s refreshing to see that our natural instincts still ring true – spending time in green space is still the best, and cheapest, route to creating calm. For those without their own garden, it’s interesting to see how often Brits seek out a patch of turf.

“Our EverGreen® Super Seed goes some way to furnishing Brits with a quick solution to keep their lawns in tip top condition all summer long.”

Here are some simple tips to achieve an almost effortless lawn:

Mowing – when to mow and best height of trim

  • Cut regularly – once a week in March, twice a week in May, June and July, and once a week come August.
  • Never give the lawn a close shave. It should be long enough to remain healthy, but short enough to be visually pleasing. About 2.5cm is just right.
  • Trim the edges, sharpen your mower blades.
  • 2-3 days after mowing, feed your lawn a grass feed such as EverGreen® Complete 4-in-1 to promote healthy roots and a greener, thicker lawn. It is also recommended that you leave it a further 2-3 days after application before mowing the lawn again.

 Weeds – how to treat weeds

  • Good management of the lawn including regular feeding and correct mowing will encourage a thicker lawn to repel an invasion by weeds. However, seeds will blow in from other areas of the garden and bird droppings will also contain weed seeds.
  • Getting rid of lawn weeds isn’t a matter of digging them out. Thanks to science, selective weedkillers have been produced that kill weeds without harming the grass. Treating the average sized lawn (100m2) with a lawn treatment such as EverGreen® Complete 4-in-1 will take as little as 10 minutes to feed, weed and control moss in one application.

 Watering – preparation and adding nutrients

Most lawns can survive a couple of weeks without rain, but after this period you will notice symptoms of stress; grass may turn silvery blue and turf will look flat as the grass wilts. To avoid these problems:

  • Prick the surface – if the lawn is baked hard then water will tend to run off the surface rather than soak into the soil. To prevent this from happening, prick the surface all over with a garden fork.
  • Water thoroughly – during a drought, water the lawn thoroughly once a week rather than giving light sprinklings each day. Water at a cool time of the day, either late at night or early in the morning.
  • Add nutrients while watering – add products such as EverGreen® Extreme Green Lawn Food Concentrate. These are diluted with water and get to work quickly.
  • Top dressing – top dress the turf once a year with an enriched lawn soil to help build up organic matter and aid water retention.

Feeding – benefits and reasons to feed

Lawn grasses start growing from March as the soil begins to warm up and mowing starts. As you mow you may notice that the colour of the remaining grass is verging towards pale yellow rather than rich green.

If you look harder then you may spot patches of moss in shady areas and the inevitable weed marring the look. If you can spot any two of these symptoms then your lawn needs a thorough make-over to get back to a decent lawn rather than a simple patch of weedy grass.

  • For lawns use an easy-to-use EverGreen® Wizz Year-Round Spreader to apply the granular feed.
  • Need a greener lawn in a hurry? Use EverGreen® Extreme Green for a greener lawn in just three days.

Moss control – moss tips

  • Start by mowing the lawn and at the same time check what conditions you find under foot. Choose a dry day when frost is not present. You are almost certain to find great colonies of moss, especially in low lying and shaded areas.
  • Mossy lawns tend to: have remained wet for long periods, have low nutrient levels, be compacted, lack organic matter, be cut too short or scalped, be shaded from regular sunshine.
  • Removing moss with a suitable lawn treatment such as EverGreen® Liquid Feed and Moss is easy, but conditions need to change to prevent moss returning.

Seeding a new lawn

  • First decide on the type of lawn you want and how you will use the area. You can then choose the correct seed mixture that will perfectly match your lifestyle and garden.
  • Before you buy the grass seed, measure the area to be seeded so you can buy the right amount of grass seed you need.
  • Anyone can sprinkle seed over soil, but if you want your lawn to be flat, free-draining, weed-free and establish quickly, then preparation is the key to short and long-term success.

EverGreen® Super Seed is a triple action grass seed that provides all of the care lawns need. The seed contains a mix of grass seed, controlled release fertilizer and soil enricher and germinates at low temperatures making it suitable for growing in sunny and shady locations.

For more lawn care articles, tips and advice visit www.lovethegarden.com.