Home & Garden

Much has been said against lawns, with some people even advocating the eradication of grass.

In fact, lawns help to sound-proof your house and your street; lawns help to take the heat-load off your house; lawns keep precious top-soil from eroding away from run-off and wind; lawns provide a safe area apon which children can play, and finally, lawns help to set off your home and flowerbeds. As a hardy groundcover, a well managed lawn cannot be beaten.

When spring clean-up is done and the warm weather is just around the corner we can start looking forward to some colour. (Actually - we can look for some colour as early as February if it's mild, or mid to late March.)

We tend to think of spring in terms of tulips and daffodils, and yet one of the first spring bulbs to show is usually the early crocus. These are the very small flowered ones, with extremely short stems. (Pictures 1 and 2). These cheery little bulbs can even be planted in your lawn because by the time you start cutting the grass the crocus flowers will be long gone and their thread-like foliage will have dies back. Sometimes during the same period, the miniature iris will show. These little guys are commonly purple, blue or yellow. Aconites (Picture 3), Snow drops and Blue Bells are usually next.