Early lawns were very different to what we know today. Often, they were merely meadows that were occasionally grazed by animals to create areas of shorter grass around buildings. As gardening became more popular in Elizabethan times, lawns became more fashionable and were laid in large numbers around the many country homes that were built during this period.
Lawncaretips - These lawns were either grazed or scythed and would contain a mixture of grasses and other plants such as chamomile that gave off a pleasant fragrance when walked upon. Indeed, the main purpose of many of these lawns was to provide a recreational facility, and scented plants were included to help mask the many unpleasant smells of the time. Short areas of grass were also maintained for the playing of sports such as bowls and pall-mall, which was later renamed croquet.
In the 18th century formal lawns became popular on large estates and in order to keep them short they would have been regularly cut with a scythe, sickle or hand shears. A skilled man with a scythe was able to cut the grass very short and even.
However, it was the invention of the first mechanical lawnmower that made lawns more accessible to the general public. An English engineer working in the textile trade based the first mower on a cutter used to trim cloth and in 1830 the idea was patented and the first mowers followed shortly afterwards, produced by a firm named Ransomes.
This first mower had a cutting cylinder and needed to be operated by two men. One would pull and the other push. Soon to follow were smaller and lighter versions that could be used by one person and also larger models that were pulled by horses wearing leather shoes to prevent them from leaving hoof prints on the grass.
These horse-drawn mowers were manufactured by a company called Shanks, and their product is thought to be behind the saying ‘shanks’ pony’, meaning to walk. Although the mowers were designed to be pulled by ponies, they were more often pulled by men! By the late 19th century lawns had become an established part of the garden, not only for the rich but also for the working man.
Today, lawns with beautiful design are still very much part of the gardening landscape, and thanks to the work carried out by various sporting organizations much of the expertise and technology has worked its way down to garden level. Because grass is so widely used as a sports surface, lawns should continue to flourish.
Share This
Subscribe Here
Postingan
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar