Why not mow the lawn in May?
Even if you are a fan of perfectly mown lawns, this month of May, and even after, do as the English do, yes, and leave your mower in the garage. Indeed, in the United Kingdom, The “No Mow May” movement has been active since 2019. The ideas supported by this movement have now crossed the Channel and it is recognized thatan unmown lawn is beneficial for your garden, for biodiversity, but also for you.
Let’s see what its advantages are.
Attract pollinators
From May onwards, many flowers grow naturally on the lawn. In addition to being aesthetic, these flowers are very useful for pollinating insects, like bees among many others, who will be able to come and collect their nectar. Indeed, certain plants, such as clovers, poppies, daisies, dandelions, etc., are very rich in nectar.
Enjoy the butterflies
Do you like discovering all kinds of butterflies in your garden? It’s easy to attract them to your land: let the grass grow. You should know that butterflies particularly appreciate areas left in the wild, because they can find all kinds of honey-producing plants there.
Invite useful animals
By letting your lawn grow, you provide shelter to certain animals that are allies of gardens, such as birds, hedgehogs, lizards, amphibians, etc. These spaces left in their natural state allow them to hide , whilewith your mower you risk injuring themespecially since some were able to take refuge in the tall grass during the bad season.
Discover new flowers
If you refrain from using your mower, you will be able to admire many new flowers. Some of them might even surprise you.
More time for you
The time that you do not spend mowing, you can devote to truly enjoying your garden quietly seated on a bench or in a deckchair depending on your preferences. If you are the active type, you can also spend it on making an insect shelter, a birdhouse, among many other ideas.
Save money
If you leave your mower in the garage, in addition to your time, you will also save money, whether in terms of energy or maintenance of the mower. Without forgetting that a lawn can only be beautiful if it is well watered and well nourished. This all has a cost ! Not to mention anti-moss, antifungals and weed killers.
And after May?
After May, it is recommended to leave a few areas where the grass can grow freely and to mowing more spaced out over time, such as once a month instead of every week. Also, stop mowing low, but set your mower to a higher cutting height. You will see that your lawn will be better off and will suffer less from the summer heat.
How is it actually done ?
If you decide to let your lawn grow quietly, we agree that you may want to have spaces where the grass is short, which is more practical for moving around or for children who want to play. To do this, you have the choice between different options.
Mow certain areas
A first option available to you is to let the lawn grow on most of your grassy land and to mow only certain areas which will allow you to move around in complete peace of mind. You can easily create paths that lead to different areas of your garden.
This solution allows you to combine the advantages: you preserve biodiversity and you can continue to enjoy your garden in complete safety and peace of mind.
The wild meadow
A second option is to create a wild meadow in part of your garden. To do this, you have two options:
- You can buy ready-made mixes. For a successful result, all you need to do is follow the instructions on the box.
- You can also create your own mixture with 60% annual and perennial flowers that you will take care to choose according to the nature of your soil, 25% legumes such as crimson clover, lupine, etc. and 15% grasses such as red fescue, etc. When sowing, allow 10 g of seeds per square meter.