Lawn facts for kids
A lawn is a piece of land covered with grass, and sometimes other plants like clover. People keep lawns cut short and even using a lawnmower. Lawns are used because they look nice (this is called aesthetic) and for fun activities like playing games (this is called recreational).
You might hear other names for lawns, like turf, pitch, field, or green. These names often depend on the sport or where you are in the world. Lawns are usually found around homes, apartments, and other buildings, making them a type of yard.
Most lawns are made only of grass. People work to keep them green and free of weeds or pests. They also cut the grass regularly to keep it at a good length. In the United States, about 80% of homes have grass lawns. This has created a huge industry. Lawns in the U.S. use a lot of water – more than all the wheat and corn grown there! The Environmental Protection Agency thinks about one-third of all public water goes to watering grass. In dry areas, this can be as high as 70%.
The idea of lawns first appeared in France in the 1500s. Lawns, as we know them today, came to England in the 1700s. Back then, it would take three gardeners a whole day to cut one acre (about 0.4 hectare) of lawn using a tool called a scythe. Two hundred years later, one person with a lawnmower could do the same job in just an afternoon!
History of Lawns
In the 1500s, during the Renaissance, rich people in France and England started growing special areas that looked like lawns. But instead of grass, they often planted things like chamomile or thyme. These plants are still good choices today if you want an alternative to grass.
Proper grass lawns, cut very short, first appeared in England in the 1600s. These were found at the homes of very wealthy landowners. While some large estates still let sheep graze to keep the grass short, people started hiring many workers to cut the grass closest to their homes. Only the rich could afford to pay all the people needed to cut and weed the grass. So, having a beautiful lawn showed off a family's wealth and high social standing.
Famous Lawns Around the World
In many parts of the United States, taking care of your lawn is a big part of keeping up your home. A lawn that isn't well-kept can even lower the value of a house. Families use their lawns for many fun things. Neighborhood cookouts, birthday parties, and outdoor games are just a few examples.
Here are some famous lawns around the world:
- One of the most famous lawns in France is around the Eiffel Tower. It's part of a large park called the Champ de Mars.
- The South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. is a very well-known lawn.
- The grass courts at Wimbledon, London, where the Wimbledon Championships are played, are unique. It's the only major tennis tournament still played on a grass court.
- Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo, Japan, has huge areas of lawns and gardens. It's also famous for its about 1,500 cherry trees.
Images for kids
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The Lawn at the University of Virginia, facing south.
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The lawn of a small summerhouse.
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San Francisco Botanical Garden lawn, United States
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Gardens of the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, designed by André Le Nôtre at Maincy.
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Capability Brown's landscape design at Badminton House.
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1803 painting of the main elements of the English landscape garden.
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The lawn at Kirkby Fleetham Hall, Yorkshire, England, circa 1889.
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The first petrol-powered lawnmower, 1902.
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From the 19th century, the cultivation of lawns, especially for sports, became a middle-class obsession in England. Pictured, a lawnmower advertisement from Ransomes.
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A high school principal caring for the school lawn; from a 1916–1917 yearbook in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
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A newly seeded, fertilized and mowed lawn.
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The area on the right has not been mown since the previous autumn.
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One of ground cover plants, common bearberry.
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Broadcast spreaders can be attached to tractors or ATVs to spread seed or fertilizer.
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Aeration is one method used to maintain a lawn.
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A typical lawn-mowing bot maintaining even and low grass.
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Dethatching removes dead grass and decomposing materials that build up in a lawn.
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Smartsweep.jpg
Lawn sweepers clean up debris from dethatching in addition to leaves, twigs, pine needles, etc.
See also
In Spanish: Césped para niños
