Guest Author - Diana Pederson

Stuart Franklin. Building a Healthy Lawn. Storey Books. 1988.

Homeowners often feel a lawn is the most important part of the landscaping surrounding their homes. Franklin states: “A healthy lawn is an environmental healer. It will help clean our atmosphere, purify our rain water, prevent erosion, buffer noise, and cool our air in the summer. But the methods we’ve used to care for our lawns in the past have offset some of the good that lawns do.” [Page 3]


This book is written so you, the reader, can learn to maintain a lawn properly in order to gain the benefits of having a healthy lawn. Each topic essential to maintain a lawn is thoroughly discussed. These are the topics: What is a Lawn?, Mowing, Choosing Equipment, Watering the Lawn, The Soil, Fertilizing, Thatch, Types of Grasses, Seeding a Lawn, Sod Lawns, Lawn Chemicals: An Overview, Insects in the Lawn, Weed Control, Mowing, Spraying, and Fertilizing Services, Ground Covers and Mulches, Lawn Calendar, and some Parting Words.

Strengths

Each topic is illustrated with black and white sketches that have appropriate captions. The chapters are easy to read and should give confidence even to new homeowners that they will be able to care for their lawn properly. The glossary explains words homeowners may not be familiar with.

Weaknesses

The order of the topics seemed randomly organized to me. They didn’t flow naturally into the next topic. I strongly feel this book needs to be reorganized so there is better flow of information. My suggestion is that this book be divided into several sections: Lawn and Grass, Grass Care, Lawn Problems, Lawn Care Equipment. I’d move the “ground cover and mulches” chapter and the “Lawn Calendar” into the appendix.

Recommendation

This is a good beginning book on lawn care. It will help the homeowner take care of their lawn using environmentally friendly methods. Although the organization of the chapters frustrated me a bit, I still feel this is a good introduction to quality lawn care. You may purchase this book by clicking on the cover or going to www.storeybooks.com.