Height of Grass at Hogwarts

[Tim the Enchanter]

How tall do you think the grass is on the Hogwarts grounds? Between Hogsmeade?

Do you see it as neatly trimmed, or growing wildly?

I can't exactly picture groundskeeper Hagrid mowing...

Tim the Enchanter

[Gmariam]

I can't exactly picture groundskeeper Hagrid mowing...

Well of course he doesn't mow - he uses his pink umbrella!

As for the actual height he secretly magicks it to - no idea. Write what works for your story since JKR forgot that major bit of information in canon.

~Gina

[Equinox Chick]

The grass in the grounds where Harry et al sit under the beach tree is no doubt very neatly trimmed and probably up to the standard of UK lawns which are cut close to the ground once a week by the man of the house.

Around the perimeter and next to the lake, I think there would be some leeway to encourage wildlife to proliferate.

Hagrid would not mow in the sense that he'd sit on a lawnmower or push an electric one around the place - that would of course be propostrous for elecktrickery won't work at Hogwarts - but he could easily have an old-fashioned type mower that needs pushing, or else Sprout uses magic to push it along the ground.

However, I'm inclined to believe that he borrows a goat from Aberforth to keep the grounds in tip-top condition.

Hope that helps!

~Carole~

[coolh5000]

I'm not really sure that this is something that needs a thread. As far as I know there is no mention of grass height anywhere in canon and therefore you're probably free to do what you want in that regards. It seems reasonable to assume that the grass in the grounds would not be allowed to grow out of control, but that doesn't mean Hagrid would have to mow it manually - I imagine there is some sort of charm to keep the grass short. As Carole says, we see students sitting by the lake which suggests the grounds are not wild and overgrown. Closer to the forest and other places students are less likely to go, the grass would probably.

As I said though, lengthy discussion on this subject doesn't really seem necessary. It's generally a matter of common sense and one of these situations when an author can make their own decisions.

[welshdevondragon]

I would hope it would be left to grow wild, except of course the vegetable patch and the Quidditch Pitch (exactly why I think the Quidditch pitch should be mown, given that they are FLYING I'm not quite sure, but I think it should be )

But then I like wild grass.

[Tim the Enchanter]

I'm not really sure that this is something that needs a thread.

I was curious because the height of the grass is an important detail in a story I am thinking about. How high the grass is determines how concealable things dropped in the grass are. Or whether you could hide by lying or crouching in tall grass, which you can't do with a neatly-trimmed lawn.

Tim the Enchanter

[Equinox Chick]

Much depends on the era you're writing and who was in charge of the grounds.

Hagrid might not have been quite as punctilious about grass length as he was about his pumpkins, but Ogg could well have been an absolute fiend with the cutting shears.

In SWM, Harry references the grass several times. The Marauders sit under the beech tree, on the grass. Snape sits by a clump of bushes on the grass. Harry sits next to them on the grass. They're all described as sitting on the grass and not in the grass, so it is probably very short.

It is a shame that the weather was so perfect that day because then the wind could have ruffled through the blades of grass and given us a more accurate picture. Tush tush, JK, you have let us down.

There is also the point that none of us know what object you character plans on concealing in the grass. If it's button size, then even the most shorn lawn would suffice, but anything bigger than a Snitch (which is golf ball size) and you need a decent enough piece of 'rough'.

I'm not sure any mod would be able to reject your story on the grounds (excuse the pun) of non-canon length of grass though, so you should be on safe ground (or grass) here.

~Carole~

[Tim the Enchanter]

There is also the point that none of us know what object you character plans on concealing in the grass.

What I'm aiming to hide is something about the size of a small landmine. Based on the excerpts you provided from Snape's Worst Memory, the grass doesn't sound like it would offer any concealment around the important bits of the Hogwarts grounds. The grass around Hogsmeade might be taller, though.

Tim the Enchanter