Lawns for Canada: Natural and Organic

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

After countering the anti-lawn trend by making a good case for having
that lovely spread of smooth green, Williamson delivers all the
explanations and how-to details needed for the Canadian homeowner to
create and maintain such an asset.

Williamson confronts the sometimes-conflicting need to have a
traditional manicured lawn to keep the neighbours happy and the need to
be environmentally responsible. His prescription for achieving both
needs includes good turfgrass management that relies on organic methods
for weed and pest control. Pesticides are not needed, he claims, when
the right turfgrass is selected and its soil and nutrient requirements
are met.

The work starts with the anatomy of turfgrass and its response to
light, water, air, temperature, wind, flooding, soil, draining, and
traffic. Matching the species of grass to its intended usage, species
identification and properties, site analysis, and lawn installation are
all covered in detail before maintenance issues are discussed. These
include equipment, mowing, edging, watering, fertilizing, aerating, top
dressing, and thatch control. A 12-step soil repair process, an
integrated pest management plan, and a trouble-shooting section make the
work useful to owners of homes with older lawns.

The book is beautifully designed, with lots of subheads, colour-coded
sections, an index, and useful supplementary material such as a chart of
weeds and a glossary. The generous use of colour photos to illustrate
the text makes it visually pleasing and adds to its approachability. It
will be welcomed by homeowners and those responsible for landscape
maintenance of small commercial properties.