Get involved in … No Mow May

Ok, so this post may be a little late in the making, but there is no time like the present! Want to make a positive contribution to nature in your green space? Read on my friend…..

This May, put your lawn mowers and strimmers away for good and let your lawn grow to help native wildflowers and the pollinators they support. By providing habitats for insects and small creatures in your garden, larger animals that depend on them can thrive too, allowing nature space to return and recover by making our gardens a safe, wild place. All the info on getting involved can be found on the Plantlife website (https://nomowmay.plantlife.org.uk/), but here are some ideas…

• The whole hog – completely leave your lawn to grow for the month of May and see life transform in your very garden. Flowers you had never noticed in your lawn will have the opportunity to grow and the pollinators they attract will have many benefits to wildlife and ourselves. Who knows, maybe you’ll find regular mowing isn’t that important after all.
• The Path – if you still need to get across your lawn easily, you could try only mowing a path and leaving the longer grass and flowers either side. This is not only practical and beneficial to wildlife, but looks really nice too!
• What you can – if leaving the whole lawn is not doable for any reason, choose a patch of lawn to grow, such as a corner of the garden or the grass bordering the edges, as an example. Leaving any space to grow, however big or small, is a positive step and better than mowing the entirety of your green space.
• Public spaces – if you don’t have a garden at all (and even if you do), you can still get involved by getting your local green spaces involved too, whether it be through the council (road verges, roundabouts, parks) or a school, college or university green space. The community could make little signs explaining that this month this green has been left for nature, to involve even more people in the education of living with nature. Let your local area know that this is important to you!

Hopefully this helps you get started on your no-mowing journey and allows us to help our native pollinators and other wildlife who really need our help. Remember: don’t mow, grow! 🌼