Customer Reviews

The New Lawn Expert

5 star:		(4)
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3 star:		(2)
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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.

I found this book strong in many general areas, however, it was written for British lawns, with only a chapter at the end dedicated to American lawns. Of course, there's a lot of overlap between the lawns of the two countries, but many of the names of pests and weeds were not those familiar to us in America. Hence, I could identify the British name for a particular weed in my lawn, but not know what we call it in order to go to my local store and buy the proper herbicide.

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.

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 are many gardening "expert" books by Dr. D.G. Hessayon and I have read several of them thanks to my local library. This one, above all the others, is hands down a worthwhile investment (especially since I paid $0.01 for it used on Amazon).

I currently live in an apartment and don't have a lawn of my own. I have, however, always been fascinated by gardening and plant care. While I have not compared this book to any other lawn care books on the market, I know that this one has help me with my future preparations of maintaining a beautiful "first-rate" lawn.

This book is divided into sections including the basics of identifying your lawn type, seeding, sodding, fertilizing, mowing, pests, and other problems. Although I don't live in England (since this book is directed towards the British) the information within can be easily applied to most any locale.

Everything you need to know is in here. Some may argue that there are better texts out there, and they may be right since I have done little in the way of exploring; but, it certainly is a great place to start.

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.