Some of her rivals measure their grass with rulers and have backyard putting greens, but Ann Maree has a more practical ambition: a lush lawn she can enjoy without spending a fortune.

The 60-year-old grandmother from Kambalda East, near Kalgoorlie in Western Australia’s Goldfields, is ranked among the top five entrants nationally in the Yates National Gardening League Australian Lawn Challenge, which rewards the most improved lawn.

Her patch of green comes with a challenge many competitors don’t face: summer temperatures that can reach 45 degrees, leaving the ground crunching beneath her feet.

“I’m definitely not out there measuring my grass with a ruler!” Ann Maree says. “Some of these competitors have lawns that look like golf courses. I’m a bit more practical. I just want a lush green lawn that I can enjoy, without spending a fortune or making it too complicated.”

Originally from New Zealand, Ann Maree moved to the region 14 years ago. Keeping grass green back home was a very different proposition.

“It’s very different to New Zealand where everything is naturally very green and lush,” she says. “When the temperatures hit 45 degrees in summer it gets very dry and you can feel the ground just crunch under your feet.”

Learning to garden in those conditions has meant paying particular attention to soil preparation and deep watering. It has also made her conscious of every drop she uses.

“Out here in Kambalda East, water is just as valuable as the gold we are famous for,” she says. “I’m very water conscious. Nothing goes to waste, even the grey water from the washing machine gets piped out onto the lawn instead of going down the sink.”

Her lawn wasn’t flawless when she entered the challenge. There were brown patches and weeds, with the heat making it difficult to keep everything looking healthy.
For gardeners who might look at a national lawn competition and assume they have no chance, her starting point offers some encouragement. A few brown patches didn’t mean she was out of contention before she began.

That gave her a reason to enter rather than rule herself out. This season, the competition rewards improvement over 10 weeks, rather than simply looking for the best lawn.

“I thought I’d give it a go and see how my lawn compared with everyone else’s,” she says. “This year they’re judging how much you improve your lawn, rather than who has the most perfect grass, which I thought gave me a fighting chance.”

Entrants photograph their lawns at the beginning of the challenge, then upload another image to show their progress. The format gives someone working with a struggling patch of grass a chance to compete against gardeners whose lawns already look impressive.

Even so, finding herself among the country’s top five came as a shock.

“To make the top five in Australia, especially from somewhere like Kalgoorlie, is pretty exciting! There are some very serious lawn enthusiasts out there, so I certainly didn’t expect to be up there with them.”

Ann Maree uses a Yates Click & Grow hose-connected lawn care system to apply products without having to measure out concentrates. She says the system keeps the process straightforward, whether she is using a soil improver or applying a weed and feed. She doesn’t believe a greener lawn should require an expensive set-up or hours of work.

Her approach, though, starts with understanding what her garden is up against.

“You need to work with the climate and conditions you live in,” she says.

For Ann Maree, that has meant adapting the way she gardens since leaving New Zealand, rather than expecting the same results from a very different environment.
She believes the harsh setting might even work in her favour in a competition built around how far a lawn has come.

“When you’re trying to grow grass in 45-degree heat, I reckon you’ve got a few more challenges than someone living somewhere with plenty of rain,” she says. “Keeping a lawn green out here takes a lot of care and persistence.”

There’s also a personal reason she would love to take home the prize, and it has nothing to do with upgrading her garden.

Ann Maree hopes to use the money to return to New Zealand for Christmas with her 88-year-old sister, Val.

“I was adopted and we actually only found each other in 2015,” she says.

For all the satisfaction of holding her own against Australia’s lawn fanatics, winning could mean spending Christmas with a sister she didn’t find until later in life.