I don’t do No Mow May - here’s why.

I heard about someone recently getting told off by their neighbour for mowing their lawn in May. Well, I too would have been in trouble as I do mow my lawns in May - but I think that’s ok. Here’s why.

In 2019 Plantlife, the wild plant conservation charity, started a campaign for us to put our mowers away in May and allow wildflowers in our lawns and green spaces to flourish. It’s a great idea and their website is packed full of useful information about how we can support wildflowers in our towns and cities. I 100% agree with the mission of Plantlife and I think No Mow May is a great idea - simple tag line, easy to remember and put into practice and a great practical way to show the benefits leaving your lawn long can have.

So why don’t I do it? I believe I follow the sentiment but I just chose different methods. My back garden isn’t large and accommodates two children and their football. So I mow for them to play on. And if I’m honest, I like the look - I find it calming to look out on a neatly clipped lawn and a tidy lawn makes the plant borders look beautiful, it essentially frames them. However, I don’t give my little football hooligans the whole garden. I have good size plant borders that are filled with dense planting, many attractive to pollinators, and I’ve added small trees, where you will often spot birds hiding amongst the branches. In my front garden, I do No Mow all summer but just in one section. I’ve placed a simple water bowl in the centre of my small lawn and I leave a circle of grass to grow long around it. I’ve added some oxeye daisies and spring bulbs and it looks beautiful. I mow a metre wide strip around it, so the centre looks wild but purposefully so. I’ll cut it back once at the end of summer and that’s it.

The only thing I am really strict on when it comes to my lawn is weed killer - I never use it and clover, moss, buttercups and dandelions are welcome to grow. I can’t really understand the point of removing them, it all looks lush and green when you give it a mow anyway so it just doesn’t seem worth the effort.

Water bowl in the long grass

So my thoughts are we don’t need to be rigid about it - if No Mow May works for you then brilliant, do it, its a great idea. But if it doesn’t, then try something else to bring nature and wildlife into your garden. If you can’t bear an untidy garden, include instead a few plants that are attractive to pollinators. If you want your front garden to look ‘looked after’, then leave a section of long grass with a tightly mown section around it, it looks purposeful and beautiful. Add a tree to your garden - a small apple tree will be full of bees at blossom time. Add some water - a tiny container pond, a bird bath. I promise that, whatever method you use, adding some wildlife to your garden will make a difference (and make you a little bit happy)!