A lesson in 17th century lawn management.

It was a fantastic summer day, hot and humid. So inviting to get on the scooter and go somewhere stunning. I decided that Gunnebo Slott (House) on the outskirts of Gothenburg (Sweden), would be a good destination. This beautiful estate was constructed in the late 18th century by a wealthy businessman as a summerhouse. It is now open to the public and a showcase of how garden design from the relevant period looked like. I ventured to Gunnebo Slott for a stroll in a fine formal garden. But also ended up with a lesson in 17th century lawn management. Here and there, as I walked around, were signposts educating visitors about a current lawn project; maintenance of grass areas as they used to be.

A lesson in 17th century lawn management.
Fabulously sharp topiaries and an experimental lawn.

And how was that exactly? No Swedish descriptions have been found apparently, therefore the current lawn experiment is based on instructions outlined by André Mollet in 1651. How curious that I wrote about him and his scythed turf ideas not long ago … His prime approach was that lawns should be constructed with turf collected from sheep pastures.

A 17th century maintained lawn amidst the bosquets.
A 17th century maintained lawn amidst the bosquets.

So true to historical methods, after having established this turf (presumably) it has been adjusted with the use of a reconstructed “turf beater”. Maintenance is then carried out using traditional tools, including the roller, the scythe and the birch broom. The hope is that in due course this experiment will develop knowledge about the historical lawn.