Landscape Design General Rules for a Turfgrass Lawn

I have assembled some very basic rules regarding the design of a turfgrass lawn. This is provided in a manner for a homeowner, or the do-it-yourselfer, to effectively design an efficient turfgrass lawn.

An inefficient turf area design results in over-irrigation.

1. The design of a turfgrass area should simultaneously be designed with an irrigation design. Too often, the irrigation design is considered an after-thought to the design of the turfgrass area. The results are usually a design where the irrigation design is much more expensive, inefficient or wasteful in terms of water. The image above is an inefficient example of a turfgrass area design.
2. The turfgrass area should be no narrower than eight feet in width for effective growth and efficient irrigation practices. A turfgrass strip that is narrower than eight feet requires expensive irrigation technologies, or an irrigation system that tends to irrigate unwanted site elements such as sidewalks or streets.
3. The design of a turfgrass area should also consider how the lawn is going to be mowed and/or maintained. The edges of a landscape area must be considered primarily in the design of a landscape. Ideally, a turfgrass area should not be designed in a manner that requires a weed-eater or trimmer. The turfgrass should not directly abut a vertical structure like a house, wall or fence. Not to mention the issues of adding water near the structural components of these vertical features, this condition has associated costs of both time and money.

The turfgrass adjacent to vertical wall in this photo requires additional maintenance beyond the conventional lawn mower.