The national no-mow May initiative has seen tens of thousands of households leave their lawns uncut for the last month, with the aim of improving biodiversity in their gardens. With May coming to an end, many people will be wondering whether they should leave their lawn uncut, cut it completely, or perhaps just cut in certain areas.
Part of the new thinking has to be about how we view our gardens and what we use them for, with the concept of only having a manicured lawn and pristine flower beds now, arguably, an outdated concept in an age of heightened environmental awareness. There can though be various levels of middle ground to achieve a sensible compromise, with this an area which garden wildlife expert, Lucy Taylor of Vine House Farm Bird Foods, discusses here.
“No-mow May has hopefully been an eye-opener for the many households taking on the initiative for the first time, with increased wildlife activity in their gardens and the very attractive appearance of longer grass and, in many cases, the scattering of wildflowers such as dandelions.
Weeds are simply plants where you don’t want them
“I’ve deliberately referred to dandelions as wildflowers rather than weeds in the context of no-mow May, because if you intend to have them in your garden in certain areas, then by definition they cannot be a weed. A multiplying rose bush becomes a weed in a flower bed if you don’t want it there, with this example further helping to explain just what’s meant by the idea of a weed.
Different options available rather than just going back to a straightforward lawn
“For some households, having a lawn which is kept reasonably short is actually a necessity from a practical perspective – e.g. to allow young children to play ball games. But even in such cases, there’s nearly always the potential to leave an area uncut until the end of the summer.
“It’s also the case that that the contrast between a cut lawn and uncut area directly next to it makes a highly effective visual feature, and this can be achieved in a number of ways and including having the cut sections as pathways running through the uncut patches – and that can also be great fun for children to run around in and explore.
Wildflowers may or may not appear on their own in lawns
“Depending on a range of factors including location, soil conditions and the degree of only cultivated grass in the original lawn, wildflowers may or may not easily colonise within a lawn. This is partly because grasses will generally outcompete wildflowers and especially in rich soils, with airborne seeds from wildflowers also sometimes failing to reach the ground in very long grass in order to germinate. A way to tackle this issue is to use wildflower plugs, which are best pushed into the soil during September and October and following a proper annual cut of the long grass. Raking the grass off so it doesn’t enrich the soil as it rots down will also help establish more wildflowers, plus a few species of wildflower can actually outcompete grasses – Yellow Rattle being the best example.
A great example of a cut lawn beautifully contrasting with an area of tall grasses and wildflowers – and in this case all naturally seeded without the homeowner’s intervention
We must change the way we look at our gardens for the benefit of wildlife and the environment more widely
“For people who hadn’t previously embraced the idea of a more wildlife-friendly garden but have just tried no-mow May for the first time, there is right now a great opportunity for them to reappraise how they use their outdoor space and what it could look like. But this isn’t just about wildlife, but also about considering the benefits to the wider environment. For example, using powered garden tools like strimmers and mowers much less reduces an individual’s carbon footprint, with uncut lawns and wildflower meadows also requiring little or no watering compared to a manicured lawn. So please do take this opportunity and join the ever-growing movement of people changing the nation’s gardens for the better.
Lucy Taylor,
General Manager of Vine House Farm at:
https://www.vinehousefarm.co.uk/