Everyone is familiar with the expression, “Take the time to stop and smell the roses.” As it turns out, you’re better-off stopping to smell the grass. According to a recent study, the smell of freshly cut grass makes people relaxed and happy.

The University of Queensland research revealed that the aroma of grass affects parts of the brain that control an individual’s memory and emotions. Not only does the scent help people relax and make them cheerful, but as a result of these two components, it also slows down the decline in mental ability with age.

The research has resulted in the production of a perfume named Serenascent. It’s said to smell like freshly-cut lawn and is meant to help relieve stress and enhance memory. Dr. Nick Lavidis is credited with developing the idea of the perfume.

He reportedly came up with the idea after a 3-day vacation in Yosemite National Park. Dr. Lavidis says just 3 days surrounded by fresh pines and nature had him feeling like he had been on a 3-month holiday. Years later, when his neighbor commented on the wonderful smell of his recently cut lawn, Dr Lavidis says it all started to click into place. His incredibly refreshed state after his brief vacation in Yosemite sparked his curiosity to investigate what specific element in the environment contributed to feelings of relaxation. After seven years of experiments and trials, Serenascent was invented.

Dr Lavidis worked with pharmacologist Professor Rosemary Einstein to create the pleasant aroma. Currently the scent will be marketed to use as a room-freshener, linen-spray and perfume. However in the future, the scent may be incorporated into other products.

So the next time you’re mowing your lawn from Evergreen Turf, take the time to stop and smell the grass.

When you live in Arizona, sod and lawn maintenance tasks vary through out the year depending on the season. However, Evergreen Turf has a few tips you can use all year long to improve the overall health of your desert landscape. (more…)

The southwestern states have a warm, arid climate making it difficult for certain types of sod to grow into a healthy lawn. Warm-season grass and cool-season grass are the two general types of western sod. (more…)

Your lawn is a great place to create memories with family and friends. It’s that time of year again when temperatures begin to rise and the sun shines a little bit longer each day. Wild flowers start to sprout from the ground and butterflies can be seen drifting in and out of backyards. Choosing the best type of grass and making a beautiful green sod lawn enriches your life while improving the surrounding community. Spending a little bit of time to put together an eye-catching lawn can bring peacefulness and inspiration to the neighborhood and passers-by. (more…)

Shaded lawns in Arizona can be trouble. Sod requires a lot of photosynthesis to survive, so if you take away its main source of food, you are basically starving the sod. This is why bare spots develop beneath trees. Left in the shade for 80% of the day, there simply isn’t enough sunlight to support the sod in Arizona. Some grasses don’t need as much sunlight, but even the most shade resistant varieties need at least 4 hours of direct sunlight each day. The most shade tolerant grass out there is Palmetto St Augustine and it requires 4 hours. This variety of sod is ideal for shaded Arizona lawns. (more…)

Like anything else, landscaping is all about goals. What type of sod is right for your Arizona lawn? What do you want your yard to look like? Maybe you want a balanced yard or something a bit more organic and off center. Or, maybe your goal is energy maintenance. You’d then want to choose plants that will provide shade, prevent weed growth, and use as few resources as possible. Figuring out your goals will start you in a direction right away. (more…)