Skip to content
It’s no secret here at Coolabah Turf that we love lawn. It’s what we eat, breathe and live for.
But Moama resident Stuart Milgate might come close to beating us at our own game.
His love of lawn is bordering on obsessive, but demonstrates beautifully how magnificent results can be achieved. It just takes a bit of love and care, and a low maintenance turf variety that is well suited to your conditions and lifestyle.
Stuart’s meticulously manicured property, where he lives with his wife Janine and their two fur babies Charlie and Roly, is the envy of his neighbours and attracts admiration from anyone who walks past.
However, it’s not for praise or glory that Stuart keeps his lawn so well maintained - he just loves his lawn.
“You could say it stemmed from my grandfather on my mother’s side; he was very fussy with his lawn. I remember watching him keep it in immaculate condition and lovingly mowing it with an old push mower and now I am just as fussy – probably too fussy!” says Stuart.
“The only difference is now I have three different mowers! Janine uses one to help with the edging and around the trees and I mow the rest of the lawn with the others. I have a special way of mowing the grass so that it flows perfectly with the garden and looks great every time.
“I’m heading away on holidays for a couple of weeks soon and Janine said she’ll be too scared to mow the lawn on her own because she won’t get it right!”
After the tall fescue grass they had at a previous house died during the drought, Stuart and Janine were recommended by our team at Coolabah Turf to install Sir Walter DNA Certified Instant Turf – and they’ve never looked back.
Sir Walter is our number one selling and best performing turf for residential yards and is perfect for those with kids or dogs, or if you’re looking for a low maintenance feature lawn around garden beds, courtyards or pools.
The beautiful broad leaf of Sir Walter is soft yet hard wearing, thrives in full sun or shade with minimal water requirements, is resistant to most pests and weeds and has an amazing ability to self-repair, even after high amounts of traffic.
For these reasons Stuart said it was a no brainer to install over 1000sqm of Sir Walter at their current house. And they couldn’t be happier with the results.
“It’s just such a beautiful, hardy and drought tolerant grass. We have two monstrous labradors who are very hard on the lawn, but it holds up so well, you wouldn’t even know they were there!
“The grass is so soft and spongy that one of our labradors, Charlie, did his ACL and meniscus when he was jumping around one day – almost cost me more than what the lawn is worth to get him fixed – but still wouldn’t change a thing!”
On any given day Stuart can be found lovingly inspecting his lawn for imperfections, carrying around his little bag and picking up any fallen leaves by hand or tucking back in any runners that the dogs have scratched up. Some might say its OCD, but having a well-kept lawn brings him so much joy.
Janine would love to install a pool, but Stuart told her it would break his heart to rip up his grass!
“I guess you could call me a bit of a grass nutter, but I just love it!”
Stuart’s lawn is so immaculate, that those who know him, or have seen his impressive yard, joke that he doesn’t mow it, but cuts it with scissors. They often ask if he brushes the hair on the lawn?!
However, while he does acknowledge he is fastidious with his mowing and maintenance regime, he insists his Sir Walter DNA Certified instant turf is very easy to take care of.
“It’s very drought tolerant, I don’t put much water into it. I simply follow Coolabah’s seasonal maintenance guide to the letter to keep it strong and healthy.
“In spring I put fertiliser on it for it to green up after winter, and then apply a follow-up in autumn to carry growth into the cooler winter months. I also apply Oxafert to prevent winter grass and that’s all it needs to stay beautiful and green, and I’ve hardly ever had a weed.”
So what is it about his lawn that Stuart loves the most?
“It just makes me so proud to sit back on a Sunday after I’ve mowed and to see it looking so spectacular and to be able to appreciate what we’ve achieved.
“But I can’t take all the credit. It’s such a great product and the team at Coolabah Turf are so helpful. Every time I visit, I’m always greeted with a big smile and there is never a problem they can’t solve.
“We’ve got new neighbours moving in next door and I’ll be encouraging them to install Sir Walter at their place too!”
Want a lawn that looks as good as Stuart’s? Check out our online shop for details on our low maintenance, drought tolerant turf varieties and all the tips and tricks to keep them in tip top shape all year round!
