Creating a Labyrinth

Just for fun I wanted to have a go at making a temporary grass cut labyrinth. This would be a small project based on the width of the lawn mower.

All I wanted to do was to create a 4 circuit labyrinth by cutting it's pattern into longer grass. The shape can be maintained by weekly trimming at the lawnmower's lowest setting.

I found a design I liked on pinterest and could see it was made of concentric circles with turns here and there. So I drew it out roughly on paper.

Then I measured the width of the lawn mower (60cm) and calculated that the 4 radial paths would be a radius of 240cm + the 3 dividing walls (40cm each) would be 120cm giving an overall radius of 360cm and a diameter of 720cm, so not exactly tiny.

I put in a bamboo in the centre of the lawn and used a dusting of lime to mark out the concentric circles. Then I went back to my drawing and put in the bends to adjacent paths and carefully cut the grass.

The results were not as perfect as I would have liked but I should be able to tweek the results over the next couple of weeks.

It's position is close to the sitting room window so it is a feature to look out on and appreciate.

Other gardening trends are encouraging people to be creative and cut unusual patterns into their lawns; ellipses, circles, spirals, wavy borders, hearts and letters of the alphabet.

Martin D - May 2020

Other Labyrinths

Martin (and Bernadette Mac) has also described designing and setting up the An Tobar Labyrinth... read more here.... Labyrinth at An Tobar, Co. Meath

There is one outside and one inside the Retreat Centre.

St Finbarre's labyrinth, Cork.