The New Lawn Expert (Expert Series)

This is a great book to have

This is a highly informative and well organized book that covers in detail all aspects of how to grow and maintain a healthy lawn.

If you're like me, you pretty much ignored your parents chiding about lawn chores and never placed much stock in the importance of the lawn, because frankly you were a kid with lots of other things on your mind. Cue adulthood, owning your own home and not really knowing what you're doing with your lawn. Sure you go water it, mow it, feed it and weed it at irregular intervals. But you are at a loss to explain the underlying problems that cause your lawn to be such a problem.This book is a vital tool for the novice lawn-owner to learn and understand how to establish and maintain a healthy and beautiful lawn. The book focuses on the various tasks of lawn care, such as mowing, watering, weeding and feeding. It also includes lesser used topics such as scarification, aerating, top dressing and more. What separates this book from many others, is that each of its suggestions are well explained, and common myths debunked (e.g. I had no idea that watering too much in the summer leads to a shallow root system and thereby a weaker lawn). There is a substantial section devoted to explaining different weeds, explaining how each establish themselves and how to best treat them, providing simple but dramatically effective ideas such as raking patches of clover before mowing so as to sever the runners and weaken the clover prior to a selective weedkiller application.The book contains several flow charts and calendars to help novices figure out what they need to do and when. They are very simple to follow and also end with page numbers to link the reader to the areas of the book that actually detail how to perform each process.Other reviews have pointed out that this book has an emphasis on the British lawn, and it is true. These reviewers have pointed out that some of the weeds are identified by common names that may not be the common name used in your area, and similarly with regards to different chemicals and treatments. I flatly disagree. The weeds documented in this book exist globally I imagine, and the names used are the same names you will find on a list of weeds killed by the products you find at Home Depot or Lowe's. I live in Washington state and all but one or two weeds in my lawn were documented in this book. Similarly, the author discusses weedkillers by using chemical names such as 2,4-D. While at first you might think you've never seen this at your local home improvement store, but if you look at the active ingredients on any jug of Weed-B-Gone, you will see it and all of the other chemicals Hessayon mentions. You just have to be willing to look at past the product name and do a little looking; you will feel smarter when you know the fundamental chemicals used by all products.Lastly, I would like to point out that this book has wonderful illustrations and a layout that hearkens back to guides and manuals from the seventies and eighties. It is clear, simple and to the point. You will not find yourself wanting to skip sections because the book never wastes your time with filler material.For an already experienced gardener, this book would merit only a handy reference; but for your average suburbanite this book at the very least will explain why some of your neighbors have magnificent lawns with apparently little effort, while yours is a pocked mess of moss, weeds and ugly grass.

There was an earlier complaint about this book being written for Brits... well, it is. However, every single weed, pest, and yes, grass species/variety is listed by its common British name AND Latin name. The latin name is, of course, common to all countries. From there, you could google the Latin name, get an American website, and there you are. For example, I had no idea what Browntop grass was, but easily found that Agrostis tenuis is also called Colonial Bent. I hope this helps anyone who might be confused by some of the terminology.

I do not live in England and I found this book to be very informative. The author presents the information in a manner which is very easy to understand even for a novice gardener. The pictures, illustrations and schedules for lawn maintenance are wonderful. This book will not tell you of every disease or lawn problem but the information contained within will certainly complement information drawn from other lawn books printed for lawns in the U.S.

Most of the information I already knewMight be good for younger beginners .Photo illustrations are OKBooklet is a nice size to keep for reference .

Great step by step information on targeting lawn types and possible problems. It helped me out especially on controlling weeds and brown/empty spots in the yard. However, most of his tips on yard work tells me he hasn't lived in Florida. It is geared twards more seasonal climates. Florida is summer all year around. A South Floridian can disreguard a good portion of this book. If you do live in an area with all seasons this book on lawn care is for you.

Dr Hessayon's gardening books are very good and this one on lawn care is no exception. The book arrived very promptly from Amazon and was in pristine condition (Unlike so many at my local garden centres) and it was £2 cheaper. The book is printed on quite thick paper which makes it appear a little thicker than the content really requires but consequently the print quality is good and the pages more hard-wearing especially useful if you're reading it outside in all weathers. The technical information is top-drawer. Different types of grass, weeds, care, fertilisers are all listed and described in great detail. It is very well written, easy to understand but has plenty of technical detail. Mowing, raking, scarifying, seeding, turfing; you name it, it's all here and covered well with clear diagrams for those of us who like to look at the pictures too. For a good all round view on lawns and green areas this book is perfect.

Present for my dad, who had lost his copy of this. This is the improved version and he loved it

This publication has been around since 1997, though its dated layout and graphical design reflect its part in a series of books that have been around for decades. Evidently, the author sees no reason to change a successful formula. Well, "if it ain't broke, don't mend it", they say. The design of the book is pleasing, with plenty of little sketches of plants and equipment; though to my eye the page layouts look a bit messy, with inconsistent page design, and artwork in varying styles throughout. It really could do with a revamp.It certainly lives up to its title, with a huge amount of information on every page, covering the whole gamut, from designing and creating a lawn, to feeding and caring for it, dealing with pest, weeds, and so on. It also covers such topics as meadow creation and non-grass lawns.Having said this, it is very in-depth and perhaps too complicated for the casual gardener. The clue is in the title, I suppose, so I `m not complaining. However, if, like me, you have an average lawn that you just want to be tidy, this is probably not the book for you. I simply don't have the spare time to dedicate to pottering with the lawn to the extent prescribed in this book. I'm not trying to win a medal; I just want a lawn that involves as little effort as possible.While this is a really good, thorough book, if you are not interested in a lawn fit for a Wimbledon final, but just want your basic tidy lawn for the kids, then I suggest you have a look at Titchmarsh's book, "Lawns, Paths and Patios".

Very informative

This is an excellent book, well written and easy to understand. I bought this as a replacement for a copy I have had for over 10 years, and which had become worn out through use. I refer to it throughout the year, and if ever I have a problem on my lawn, I can usually find the answer here. There are lots of useful tips and I wouldn't be without it.If you are looking for a book to help you have a great lawn, then this is the one.