We haven't cut our lawn yet this year. We have bugle, forget me not, daisy, plantain, clover, primrose, dandelion, ox eye daisy, birds foot trefoil to name a few. Many "disapprove" of our lawn but our whole garden is for us and wildlife. Our orchard has paths cut but most is left to allow the many different grasses to flower as well as the dicots. The red campion this year at the moment is brilliant. Knapweeds developing but not in flower yet. Still no success with yellow rattle. Maybe one day!
Sounds lovely! The only thing we can get to take here is reams of yellow rattle!
I have a small patch of ‘grass’ in the front which is only cut once a year. It’s full of Primroses now and as they go over a few wildflowers appear, although it’s shady so not a huge selection. The Self Heal is lovely. I popped a few Daffodils in last Autumn and they came up nicely, so I’ll do more this year. I’m thinking of growing a few annuals to slot in so it looks less scruffy in Summer.
As for the back garden lawn, the mowing is OH’s domain. We kept a section long last year but minimal wildflowers appeared - I liked it though.
I don’t mow often, maybe 5 or 6 times a year. It’s had the first cut of the year and won’t be cut until sometime in June, July, Sept and maybe a late cut in Nov. But this year I am leaving a bit at the back of the lawn unmown until late summer. I have been planting some yellow rattle in the lawn this year, having been unsuccessful with the seed before.
We have plenty of long messy edges that I never seem to get around to every month of the year so like @KT53 I work around the weather and available time.
I think it really depends on the type of grass you have as well. We have mixed field grasses not neat lawn grasses. If we didn't mow in May (and the first mowing was the 30th of April) we would need a tractor to get through it in June.
Our grass gets thigh high in the areas we don't cut and all that grows in it is thistles. We have some areas that havn't been cut in at least 6 years, they consist of thistles, nettles tall grass and young sycamores. nothing else can survive there. In the areas that are cut there's quite a mix, from lesser celandine and thrift to wood avons, escaped strawberries, crow garlic and of course the normal daises, buttercups and dandelions.
If you then start to cut the grass again in June, are you not undoing the 4 to 5 weeks of benefit to the wildlife?
My lawn is full of Clover, Buttercup, Dandelion, Dog Violet and some other small flowering plants, plus lots of moss and some grass and these thrive even though I cut it through the month of May.
The mower is set so it doesn't cut all the low growing flowers, especially the Clover.
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Oh hang on I have not a single blade of grass as we have just moved, it's all slabs and gravel
It’s had the first cut of the year and won’t be cut until sometime in June, July, Sept and maybe a late cut in Nov. But this year I am leaving a bit at the back of the lawn unmown until late summer. I have been planting some yellow rattle in the lawn this year, having been unsuccessful with the seed before.
At the end of May I will cut a mower wide path along the polmonarias.
Luxembourg
If you then start to cut the grass again in June, are you not undoing the 4 to 5 weeks of benefit to the wildlife?
My lawn is full of Clover, Buttercup, Dandelion, Dog Violet and some other small flowering plants, plus lots of moss and some grass and these thrive even though I cut it through the month of May.
The mower is set so it doesn't cut all the low growing flowers, especially the Clover.
I think I need educating on NMM.