Ep. 144 - It's the lawns episode! They should be green, but most are brown - what are the consequences of this present prolonged dry spell, and do we need to re-think the quintessential UK lawn? Head Gardeners, Saul and Lucy put their thinking caps on...

Long summer days, high temperatures and maximum sunlight are the hall marks of a good summer (lets hope for a little rain though!). The Summer of 2022 is eagerly awaited by all the keen gardens up and down the UK as herbaceous borders, roses, veg gardens and meadows are awash with new plantings, flower and a general sense of abundance that only Summer can bring. Whereas Spring is a steady ramping of growth the Summer is a time for 'peak  plant' followed by the mellow and relaxed waning into Autumn - so slap on that sun scream, stick on your favourite summer hat and get out and enjoy all the hard work you've undertaken in your garden!Whilst May might have been unseasonally rainy for many UK gardeners, June and July have proved characteristically dry, especially for Lucy in Essex. This prompted the Head Gardener duo to assess their lawns, and ponder what the future might hold for them. Should we just accept that summer droughts equate to brown turf, or are there other planting or management options that will give us the desired green growth between our bare summer toes? Listen in to their thoughts as Lucy and Saul discuss ryegrass, Bermuda grass, and a re-think of brown grass.Twitter links:Saul @GardeningSaulLucy @HeadGardenerLCIntro and Outro music from https://filmmusic.io"Fireflies and Stardust" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Support the showSupport the show