I SOMETIMES think one of the most unloved and undervalued aspects of our gardens is the grass beneath our feet.

I am especially reminded of this when overseas visitors look at our lawns in awe. They ask, “Which unique variety is it”? and “How much do we feed, weed and irrigate?”

In reality, the grass is not that special. The quality of the sward relies more on our climate than any special treatments given. It is neither too hot, too cold, or too dry for the lush green carpet effect.

Grass generally copes well with what it gets, but when you think about it, it really does have a hard life. What other plant could you cut the top off every week and trample all over? We may starve it of food for years and still it comes back for more!

Now is a good time to take pity on your poor lawn though, and give it some of the TLC it deserves.....

Heavily compacted areas should be spiked with a garden fork. This lets some vital air down encouraging deeper rooting and healthier shooting. Also give it a good scratting with a wire rake or power scarifier, lifting out layers of dry dead ‘thatch’ and moss.

And if things have gone too far and you have big bare patches, there is no better time to lay down some new turf, rolled out like carpet over well prepared and consolidated soil.

So don’t take grass for granted. Love your lawn!

Jobs to do this week Following on this week’s lawn theme....

* Ease right back on the mowing, but don’t give up altogether until spring. Raise the height of cut, and top the grass occasionally on mild, dry days through autumn and winter.

* As the leaves begin to fall, don’t let them lie thickly on the grass. Grass doesn’t like to be kept in the dark too long and will yellow first, then die.

* Treat your lawn to an autumn/winter feed. Special low nitrogen fertilizers are available that boost roots and hardiness without encouraging too much top growth.

Chris Crowder is head gardener at Levens Hall email chris.crowder@me.com