A Man's Turf: The Perfect Lawn [Hardcover]

Warren Schultz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 1999

Look across the country on any summer Saturday and what do you see? From coast to coast you see millions of men mowing. There also may be some women tending to the turf these days, but the obsession with the lawn is truly a male phenomenon. How green is it? How thick is it? How well-mown and weed-free is it? These are the questions that try men's souls.

In A Man's Turf: The Perfect Lawn, author Warren Schultz delves into history, psychology, and botany to explain the irresistible appeal of the riding mower and freshly cut grass. But as a leading expert on lawn and garden care, he also offers a wealth of practical, hands-on information for growing, mowing, weeding, and watering a better lawn.

Schultz explores how the lawn grew up in America and visits some of the great historical lawns. He examines the machines involved--reel and rotary lawn mowers, weed whackers and water sprinklers--that shape the lawn, and gets down on his knees to look at some amazing grass, highlighting the pros and cons of the many new varieties. Schultz interviews the great turf gurus of golf courses and ballparks and reveals their insiders' tips on lawn care. A Man's Turf also provides a unique guide to lawn-related products, events, and pilgrimages--from a bicycle-powered mower to the finish line of the lawn mower races to a mower museum.

In A Man's Turf: The Perfect Lawn, garden expert Warren Schultz examines the pleasures and pitfalls that await the lawn-obsessed everywhere. He explains how to grow, mow, weed, and water a thicker, greener, healthier lawn, offering insight and a wealth of practical information, along with more than 200 full-color photographs.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What relationship is as intense, as profound as a boy and his dog? A man and his lawn, of course. Like a fine car and a big house, a luxurious and weed-free lawn announces to the world that we have arrived. In A Man's Turf: The Perfect Lawn, sodmeister Warren Schultz explores the world of lawns in all of its multifaceted complexity, from the history of lawn tools to the spiritually renewing effects of a beautiful lawn on the human psyche. "Being a man means growing up with a lawn. That's where we learn to ride a bike, on that cushion of green, or learn how to throw a curveball. It's the setting for barbeques and family reunions. It's where we're allowed to spend hours building daydreams behind a mower."

Schultz, one of the nation's leading experts on lawn care and the author of The Chemical-Free Lawn and Garden Details, appeals to both sides of the brain in this work, offering not only psychological and spiritual musings on the joys of the lawn, but also a plethora of nuts-and-bolts advice on lawn care, such as selecting the right type of lawn for your area, fertilizing, controlling weeds and pests, and choosing the right tools to keep your turf healthy. He tells us, for instance, that grass is classified not only by region, but also according to its tolerance to conditions such as drought, cold, heat, wear, and shade.

Useful as this information is, the true charm of this book comes from the author's love of lawns and lawn equipment. Even if you are one of those people who removed your lawn in favor of a garden or xeriscaping, this book is certain to conjure up memories of backyard barbecues, family croquet games, and that ineffably wonderful smell of freshly cut grass. --Perry Atterberry

Review

“You may never have pondered Life's Big Questions while mowing the grass, but you will after Warren Schultz opens your eyes to the great American lawn. With wit and horticultural know-how, he reveals the historical roots of our national character, separates ecological common sense from politically correct dogma, and illuminates the emotional bonds that tie us to the land. He also shows exactly how to grow a lawn that any man (or woman) would be proud to mow.”
-- Douglas Brenner, editor, Garden Design magazine

“Not since Walt Whitman has grass been the beneficiary of such wit and wisdom. Call it 'The Soul of the New Lawn,' this heartwarming guide to love in green pastures.”
-- Roger B. Swain, host of PBS's “The Victory Garden” --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 180 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1st edition (April 12, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609600680
• ISBN-13: 978-0609600689
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,604,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable history of the lawn, not a how-to-do book, April 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Man's Turf: The Perfect Lawn (Hardcover)

Overall I liked the book, especially its coverage of the history of lawns. I guess we all assume lawns have always been there, which is decidedly not the case. On the other hand, as a how-to book it needs some work. The author gives numerous recommendations on lawn care but never mentions something as important as adding lime to bring up the pH when necessary. Good coffee table book, but I'll look for another how-to lawn care book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Explains why some men have deep passions for mowing, August 18, 2000

By 

James L Tyree II (Portland,OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Man's Turf: The Perfect Lawn (Paperback)

I agree that this book is not for tech. ref. but is more of a commentary on why men are so obsessed about lawns and mowing and having the "Perfect Lawn." Many people have asked me why I love lawns and grass and mowing. I could not answer that. He(Mr. Scultz) answered that question for me perfectly and eloquently. He draws a story in your mind and this is one book you won't put down until you are finished with it. I loved it and I read it all day long, And I am a landscaper!

5.0 out of 5 stars I hope that it is the beginning of many more in the series., March 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Man's Turf: The Perfect Lawn (Hardcover)

Wow! Every thing you wanted to know about your lawn and then some. Warren Schultz has made it easy for the man who only has the weekend and then thenmaybe an hour or two to get rid of mold, fungus and unsightly weeds. It is loaded with information for the casual grassologist, but it is written in a user friendly, humorous fashion. Everyone should find a place for this book on their must read list.