Bird's eye view of dried out Shrewsbury Quarry lawns amid heatwave as council insists 'brown doesn't mean dead!'

Salopians concerned about the dry grass in a popular town centre park have been assured: “Brown doesn’t mean dead.”

Concerns have been raised over the condition of the grass in the Quarry in Shrewsbury after numerous heatwaves and prolonged spells of hot weather.

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However, Shrewsbury Town Council has moved to reassure residents that the brown grass seen across parks and open spaces is a natural response to the conditions – and not a sign that it has died.

Across the Quarry, recreation grounds and green spaces, lawns have turned from vibrant green to shades of gold and brown, prompting questions from residents concerned that the grass has been permanently damaged.

However, the council’s operations manager, Danny Powell, says there is no cause for alarm.

“Grass is incredibly resilient,” said Danny. “Although it may look dead, it is simply protecting itself during the prolonged dry spell. Just a couple of days of steady rainfall is enough for it to recover, begin growing again and quickly return to its normal green colour.

“In many ways, these conditions can even improve the quality of the grass by naturally reducing less desirable species such as annual meadow grass.”

Rather than watering lawns, Danny advises residents to let nature take its course.

“Our advice is simple – don’t water your lawn and don’t keep mowing it. Watering encourages grass roots to grow nearer the surface, making the lawn more vulnerable during future dry spells.

“Leave it alone, accept that it won’t look its best for a few weeks, and once the rain returns it will recover naturally.”

While routine grass cutting has largely paused due to the lack of growth, the council has continued targeted mowing in some areas for public safety.

“Residents may have seen us cutting what looked like dry, dusty grass in the Quarry last week,” Danny explained.

“This wasn’t about mowing the grass itself – it was about removing grass seed heads, particularly from foxtail grasses, which can become lodged in dogs’ paws and fur, leading to painful injuries and expensive veterinary treatment.

“We’ll continue to target these areas where necessary to help protect pets.”

Helen Ball, town clerk for Shrewsbury Town Council, said understanding how nature responds to changing weather is becoming increasingly important.

“It’s understandable that people become concerned when they see our parks turning brown, particularly somewhere as treasured as the Quarry.

“The important message is that brown doesn’t mean dead. Our teams monitor conditions constantly and adapt how they work to protect our parks, wildlife and public spaces while making the best use of water.

“As our climate changes, we are continually reviewing how we manage our green spaces to ensure they remain resilient for the future.”

The council is also continuing to introduce more drought-tolerant planting across the town, combining traditional summer bedding with grasses, palms and other sustainable planting that can better withstand increasingly unpredictable weather.