Johnsons Lawn Seed is warning that the nation’s lawns will need extra TLC this spring, if grass is to recover from the extreme conditions experienced during last summer’s heatwave and drought.

Gardeners must overseed and feed lawns this spring, to restore turf in time for summer, says the lawncare firm, and retailers are in a prime position to advise customers and capitalise on increased demand for product.

Johnsons is urging gardeners to take action from mid-spring by overseeding and feeding to nurse drought-hit lawns back to health. The company is anticipating strong demand for lawn seed and lawncare products, as concerned gardeners seek to transform patchy, tatty turf into lush lawns in time for summer.

According to the Met Office, summer 2018 was the joint hottest on record, together with 2006, 2003 and the scorching summer of 1976. With temperatures peaking at 35.3°C on 26 July, and a lack of rainfall making it the driest summer since 2003 – the nation’s lawns have been left in desperate need of renovation. Last autumn, Johnsons Lawn Seed reported a 300% sales uplift, as gardeners sought to restore lawns that had suffered during the exceptionally hot, dry summer.