Lawns and Tennis Grounds from Seed 



Poa nemoralis sempervirens ( Wood Meadow Grass). From 

 the perpetual greenness and dwarf close-growing habit of this grass 

 it is admirably suited for lawns and pleasure-grounds. The growth 

 commences very early in spring, and although the plant is quite at 

 home under the shade of trees, it is one of the best grasses for 

 enduring drought. 



Trifolium repens perenne (Perennial White Clover) is indi- 

 genous all over the country, and may be seen growing freely by 

 roadsides ; indeed, it grows better in poor than in rich land. The 

 seed will lie dormant at some depth in the soil, and germinate freely 

 when brought to the surface. Perennial White is one of the clovers 

 most frequently sown on a lawn. Constant mowing and rolling 

 result in a dense mass of herbage. 



Trifolium minus ( Yellow Suckling Clover). The very small 

 foliage of this clover is of especial value for lawns. It is a quick- 

 growing plant, showing abundantly in summer just when the grasses 

 are thin and the dense foliage of clover is most welcome. The plant 

 is really an annual, but it is perpetuated by seeding freely even when 

 closely mown. 



Achillea Millefolium ( Yarrow, or Milfoil} is neither a grass 

 nor a clover. The plant is indigenous in many districts, and may be 

 seen in some of the finest and most beautiful lawns in the kingdom. 

 At Kew Gardens, seed of Yarrow is sown over the grass, and the 

 closely mown soft elastic turf not only bears the constant traffic of 

 visitors without injury, but the herbage remains fresh and green 

 after grass has lost its attractive appearance. On hot, gravelly, 

 limestone or chalky soils, the plant might often with advantage be 

 encouraged. Occasionally it appears so persistently without sowing 

 that only by constant attention can it be kept down, and it seems to 

 be mere waste of energy to wage continual warfare against Yarrow on 

 soils where it thrives under heat that withers up grass and even the 

 more enduring Clover. But it must be clearly understood that in 

 such cases the sward needs to be kept quite close, or the herbage 

 becomes coarse and unsightly. 



So many persons entertain a strong objection to the presence of 

 Yarrow in a lawn that we never include seed of this plant in a 

 mixture of grasses unless by special request. 



Quantity of Seed. We need scarcely allude to the necessity 

 of sowing new and pure seed, strong in germinating power. Seeds 

 of the grasses and clovers suitable for producing a lawn are nearly all 

 expensive, some of them very expensive. But as fine grasses do not 



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