Grass Clippings
To grow or not to grow
It’s a perplexing time for grass – to grow or not to grow. Last week’s sunny conditions would have initiated some development, stimulating the plant to wake up after a long-drawn-out winter. This week, the anchors are fully back on, and the grass is hunkering down again expecting the worse to come.
Spring is always a difficult period as temperature ranges can be so diverse, with daytime temperatures creeping into double digits but then nighttime sinking back down into the lows or even minus figures. Most plants are triggered back into growth by soil temperature, which will warm more consistently on a steady path, with grass initiating growth when the soil is around 12 to 14 degrees.
An interesting effect particular to the site of the Club, is that the conditions of the ground can turn around very dramatically from wet and waterlogged to almost dry in a short time, given ample sunlight and a favourable wind. Depending on the surface, you will see some changes happening even now, with the golf-course rough, which has more leaf surface intact showing some signs of growth, compared to the greens which will always be the slowest of the areas to join the party. The sward of the greens sits on a sandy material and sandy soils are notorious for being cold longer – ask any farmer. They will eventually perk up with long daylength and that warming soil with a little encouragement which comes in the form of fertilizer and a good drink.
Dog-friendly days in Devon
In the UK 51% of adults own a pet. 28% of UK adults have a dog – an estimated population of 10.6 million pet dogs. Attitudes towards pets outside the home do vary, and currently the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has a trial at Rosemoor in Devon, allowing dogs into the gardens. They are collecting feedback from the trial to help inform all future decisions for its other gardens. Dog-friendly days at 65-acre Rosemoor begin on 17th March 2025 for six months on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays.
A Monty Don Dog Garden is planned for RHS Chelsea on 20-24 May. But, the UK is not as progressive as other countries in terms of our four-legged friends. In the USA, dogs are allowed into supermarkets and stores in most of the States. Commercial businesses in the USA are savvy to the idea of dog lovers feeling comfortable to shop with their canine friends. Here too in the capital, there are at least 20 stores and shops which allow you to browse with the furry one in tow, including Liberty London, Harvey Nichols and John Lewis Oxford Street. The National Trust has a dog access system, as does English Heritage. With the rise in dog theft, specifically where dogs have been kidnapped from dog parking areas outside of shops and sold back to owners for a ransom. Or worse, the animal being sold on the black market due to its breed characteristics, does put off many owners diverting for a pint of milk while walking Fido. The assurance that the pet can accompany the owner for more than a walk in the park has benefits for socializing an animal, and possibly Fido will get a few treats on the way.
Dr DG Hessayon, Expert Guide author RIP
The author of the Expert Guide series of gardening books, Dr DG Hessayon died a few weeks back at the ripe-old age of 96. Derek Gerard Hessayon was a household name from his debut in the 1950s with Be Your Own Gardening Expert. His books sold more than 60 million copies and made him a millionaire and one of the most read authorities on the basics of horticulture, but he hardly ever spoke to the press and never appeared on TV.
Be Your Own House Plant Expert was next in 1961, with Be Your Own Lawn Expert, followed by more than 20 similar guides to roses, vegetables, trees and shrubs and flowers over the next 60 years. He was educated at Salford Grammar School, then gained a Bachelor of Science degree in botany from Leeds University and PhD in soil science from Manchester University. After working in North America and Africa he obtained a doctorate in soil ecology. Later he recalled that it was seeing his bound PhD document which made him decide to become an author. Hessayon is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest-selling non-fiction author in history.
Aged 85, he stated that he was retiring, and that it was the end of an era for garden reference books. Yet he later lamented that there were one or two books left in him and so he’ll reconsider the retirement idea for a while. I owe a great debt to Derek Gerard Hessayon, his Flower, Tree and Shrub, Lawn and Indoor Plant Expert Guides inspired me as a youth and the copies I purchased over four decades ago still look down on me from the top shelf of my bookshelf. They are still a valuable source of information and one I will use from time to time.
He was never partisan to any particular styles or fashion of gardening and never judged the reader for their interest. He put the information before the consumer and let them get on with it. He once said about his own work, ‘The best compliment I have ever had was when someone said to me: “With all due respect, I could have written that.”.’ His no-nonsense approach to writing was his secret to success. With that success he lived a very normal life and gave back generously to the industry which lent him a living. Helping to support Caple Manor College and other institutions in the past when financially they needed patronage. ‘I’m not worrying about the critics and reviews. I don’t give opinions. I just give facts.’ – and that is how he wished to be remembered. Dr David Gerald Hessayon OBE, born 13 February 1928 in Manchester, died January 16, 2025, aged 96