Man’s backyard lawn named lawn of the year

Fancy a lawn fit for test cricket cut with the precision of a Kane Williamson cover drive?

Well Simon Slade’s backyard, fittingly in the Garden City, has been named lawn of the year.

Perched atop the hills of Christchurch’s Mount Pleasant, Simon Slade’s lawn is not just any lawn but the best in the country.

“Lots and lots of money spent on it. I’ve lost count and I don’t really want to count,” he says.

Money well worth it for the end product – a perfectly shaped checkerboard with a very particular regime.

“Twice a year scarify it and I’ll core aerate it and then it’s usually a monthly fertilisation.”

Sounds far too technical for a clump of grass but in this business every millimetre matters.

It’s mowed three times a week – sometimes even more. The grass is of the highest quality, it’s fit for international test cricket.

“The seed I use here, perennial ryegrass, is the same as Hagley Oval use on the outfield,” Slade says.

His passion or addiction to the pitch has grown in recent years. So much so there’s fierce debate over his priorities.

“Crossfit and squash and pool chlorine levels and there’s wife and family up there too but sometimes I question where the wife fits in,” wife Gieve Slade says.

Gieve has taken charge of the newly created Instagram account which already has nearly 1000 followers.