Still no Mow?

After No Mow May and the efforts in my garden, was it going to be back to trimming the lawns as usual? 

There definitely is a growing trend to let the grass grow and wildflowers flourish to feed our pollinators. The council seemed to hold back on trimming the verges in May when the billowing cow parsley was beautiful. In June, cutting appeared to be only the very minimum for road safety, the oxeye daisies flourished and looked wonderful. Maybe closely mown grass will become unfashionable and even frowned upon before too long! If so, what could I do to make my lawns more pollinator friendly? 

The easiest thing will be to increase the area of wildflower meadow and be patient as the wildflowers gradually increase.

The main problem with No Mow May was a month’s worth of grass growth on the back lawn - it looked untidy and spoiled the look of the borders. So I decided to try a compromise I had heard about and also seen on the TV in Adam Frost’s  garden.

Let the grass grow for a month to give lawn flowers time to flower and provide pollen, then mow as usual, but in the meantime mow and trim the edges and paths weekly, or as required. This keeps the borders clear and defined - it seems to be the best of both worlds, and I’m happy with it.

Elsewhere in Marden no mowing is also happening…

In the corner of the recreation ground nearest to Cranham Court by the football pitch there are different levels of mowing as though some experimentation is taking place. Daisies and dandelions are flowering. This was spotted by Alison Simpson.

And here in Jane Stevens’ garden, the grass hasn’t been cut all year. Wildflowers are blooming. It is a peaceful wildlife haven much enjoyed by Lulu, the cat, and her owners.

Have you changed your mowing routines? If so, and you would like to tell us about it, you can comment below.