No mow May

bertrand-mabel · May 2021

Did you curtail your lawn mowing as we get into the end of May?

We did and our "lawn" is alive with wildflowers and the insects are abundant.

Butterfly66 · May 2021

We have a couple of areas which haven’t been cut for about 6 weeks now but the difference between the 2 is huge. One area the grass is a lovely mix of species, some 30cm plus and just starting to flower with the odd wildflower as well. The other, there is hardly any difference between the mown edges and the unmown centre. It’s maybe 3-4 inches long, lots of clover (but that’s the same throughout our lawn, cut or uncut).

Ergates · May 2021

Our grass is still awaiting its first cut. Interesting that the grass has grown long in clumps, rather than all over. One lawn, shady, mossy and damp, hasn’t grown much apart from some grass flowers appearing.
The other two lawns are on slopes. Both have lots of flowers, loads of wild violets on one. Haven’t identified the predominant wildflowers on the other lawn. It hasn’t looked as bad as I thought it would, and I’m sure the insects have been enjoying it. The regular rabbit visitors certainly seem to have.

Buttercupdays · May 2021

I cut some of mine this week and the difference is wonderful, now it looks like a garden again! .Mine wasn't no cut for May, it was couldn't cut for non stop rain

It was so long I had to cut without the box, even on a very high setting, and then go over again with box to collect the clippings.

The claims about plant diversity are iffy! In many parts it resulted in a free for all between docks and hogweeed, with ground elder a runaway winner. Other places were better and the rain has encouraged many more cuckoo flowers than usual, but didn''t really change anything, except the shagginess, because I always mow around them and anything else that is looking particularly pretty. There are lots of kingcups too.

My garden is a lawn enthusiast's nightmare and we probably have similar opinions on each other's sanity

Biglad · May 2021

The 'lawn' in the back garden has only been mowed once this year (April) but is such a bog that no-mow May hasn't made a massive difference. A mossy, soggy, mess - same as usual, really!

I've done the front lawn once in May, mainly due to peer pressure. All the other front gardens in our street are so traditionally immaculate

I also don't want the regular canine deposits to be hidden from view

WonkyWomble · May 2021

My "lawn" is now so small it's more of a puddle. I've nibbled away at the edges creating more and more planting pockets or mini beds that I really can't justify my lovely lawn mower, lucky it came from Freecycle!

I haven't mowed it this year and the cats have been playing pounce in the long grass. Now it's warm the cats like to lay in the shade of it. Being a wildlife garden and organic there never was a shortage of life but even more so now I'm not mowing. I think I'm just going to more a couple of tracks to the shed and greenhouse and leave the rest from now on.

LG_ · May 2021

This was mine a couple of days ago. I like it, but I think I'll probably mow it this week, maybe leaving it a month between mows from now on.

Obelixx · May 2021

We have a large plot of ex agricultural building and pasture land. The only bit of "lawn" when we came has been left uncut thru May and has grown a fine crop of red and white clovers, daisies, field bindweed and grass flower heads, some silvery green and some purple. I have not noticed a massive influx of insects or swooping swallows in that corner of the garden but will ask OH to keep the blades on the high setting when he does mow it this week.

Elsewhere, we have a whole central section about 25m square where a barn used to be so some is just thin topsoil that's blown in and we left it unmowed all last summer. It grew loads of mallow, achillea, docks, daisies short and tall, eryngiums, and even an orchid. It attracted loads of insects and we had two lots of swallow babies plus some swifts and house martins swooping but it looked awful by the end of summer so this year we've mowed a path thru the middle and started strimming the end nearer the veg plot where the soil is better and I shall gradually fill that end with prairie style perennials.

KT53 · May 2021

I've just cut my grass for the first time in a month, again because it has been too wet. No Mow May it was but the results were mixed. Some areas of clover and daisy but most was still nothing but grass even after a month of being allowed to do what it wants. We go on holiday in just under 2 weeks so I may let it grow for a month again and see what it's like. The only problem is that the grass has completely filled my garden waste bin so, thinking about it, I'd have nowhere to put more grass if I did mow. Don't suggest composting it as I don't need it.