When I started gardening it was normal practice to regularly use garden chemicals. I can still remember the smell of malathion, a nasty insecticide that was used in the greenhouse and, when we grew chrysanthemums for cut flowers in autumn at Nags Hall we kept black aphids at bay by burning nicotine shreds – a job filled with jeopardy since I had to light small mounds along the paths and you could not go back if one failed to smoulder for fear of breathing in the toxic smoke!
Things have changed a lot. The chemicals that are available to home gardeners now are much reduced and we can be moderately sure they are safe when used as directed. But many people prefer to use as few chemicals as possible, myself included. I like growing plants and will do all I can to ensure they thrive but I am also very aware of the wild life in my garden and I get huge pleasure from the birds and other creatures that have made their home in my garden since I started making a garden from a barren field five years ago. *
We are all much more aware of the environment these days and many of us consider it when making decisions about our gardens. Although not all the plants we choose to grow are directly beneficial for wildlife, everything we plant has some use. I feel quite aggrieved when gardeners are blamed for the decline in wildlife. Of all ‘hobbies’ or activities surely ours is the most useful for the environment. Even if you plant just one tree you will be locking up carbon, providing roosting places for birds, food and shelter for some insects and so much more. Neither do I believe that just planting native plants is always the best thing to do. After all, most people plant buddleias for butterflies but these are not native to the UK.
But I want to discuss No-mow May. I was disturbed that BBC News mentioned the subject on May 1. It is a useful annual ‘soundbite’ but I think we all feel a bit ‘battered’ into feeling guilty for anything we do. If you flush ‘wet wipes’ then STOP. Take the bus if you can rather than drive. But I don’t think we should feel guilty for mowing our lawn. Now these are my opinions and you may disagree with me but I want to explain a few points.
The idea of No-mow May is that it will encourage diversity and pollinators, mostly beetles, bees, butterflies and moths.
So what is wrong with a short lawn, cut in May. It is true that a perfect lawn, with just grass, is of little use to many insects. It will provide food and shelter for some soil grubs, worms and beetles and spiders. It will also ‘capture’ some carbon, produce oxygen and is far better than tarmac, paving, gravel or artificial turf. It also looks good and provides a play surface.
If you want a ‘perfect’ lawn you will have to apply fertiliser and weedkiller and mosskiller. You could spend a lot of time and money on it. But most of us just want a pleasant green area. I would recommend just feeding the lawn. It will strengthen the grass and help crowd out weeds.
Do you need to apply a weedkiller? I would suggest that, in most cases you do not need to. You can dig out plantains but clover, daisies and buttercups are still green and I am not offended by a few flowers in the lawn before I mow. The odd bits of clover, buttercups and daisies will also provide some flowers for bees, though I do have to slow down sometimes when I am mowing to avoid the bees!
So what happens if you do not mow for a month? The grass will grow long and may flower. Many other flowers will also appear. But when making a ‘proper’ wildflower meadow the grass is not cut till July, so these plants can set seed. This will not happen if you cut the grass again in early June. The flowers will provide food for bees but grass flowers are of no benefit to bees – grass is wind pollinated. The long grass will provide shelter for insects and food for moth and butterfly caterpillars but they may be shredded when you then cut the grass.
And then there is the problem of actually cutting the grass. I was speaking to someone about this a few weeks ago when I was giving talks at Knights and they had broken their mower trying to cut the long grass. You need shears or a line trimmer. And then the base of the grass will be brown where you have let it grow long, for a few weeks at least.
So I am not an advocate of No-mow May. For most people it is just not practical and you can benefit wildlife in so many other ways – plant a tree, some flowering shrubs, some simple annuals and plant single-flowered plants rather than those with double flowers. Avoid insecticides, use organic fertilisers and plant things that offer the longest possible season of flowers. I have (non-native) winter heathers, hellebores, pulmonarias and much more to provide nectar in February.
However, I do have long grass under my apple trees along the drive. I do not need to walk on this at this time of year so I do not need it cut short. This is also where I have snowdrops and daffodils planted and the grass is not cut till late May. I am also fortunate that I planted the hedges around my garden with native plants and I allow the grass to grow long under this. So there is always long grass there, offering protection and food for a wide range of creatures. I have many moths and butterflies and lots of grasshoppers in summer, which my cat finds delicious.
We all have different circumstances but a wild patch is definitely beneficial. It need not be a lawn, though you could make it in your lawn. I have a large patch of ‘cornfield annuals’ in my lawn. I grow lots of comfrey for the bumblebees. I leave a few clumps of nettles at the base of the hedge and a few dense evergreens provide shelter for ladybirds in winter.
I really don’t think we should feel guilty if we cut our lawns in May. For some of us short grass is necessary for leisure pursuits or to get the kids outdoors. Do what you can for wildlife. Garden thoughtfully and consider the environment. But the fact that you have a garden, be it an acre of woodland or a patio with some pots of violas and dahlias, you are doing your bit.
*I bought a part-built house surrounded by grassland that is cut for silage twice a year. It consists of grass and some docks. My garden is an oasis in a desert for wildlife.