IF you peer over your garden fence this May, you might think your neighbour’s lawn is looking a little scruffy.
A few more dandelions than normal, or (horror!) patches of grass growing at different lengths. But don’t tut – that may be on purpose. And it’s a good thing!
Yes, it’s that time of year again – No Mow May, where people keep their lawnmowers and strimmers in the shed for 31 days, and give space back to nature.
It’s a simple idea. Giving the mower a breather means spring plants getting a chance to set seed before the first cutting.
This means your lawn becomes a haven for insects, birds, hedgehogs, and more.
And it allows wild plants to get a foothold in May, to feed bees, and other pollinators, through summer.
I’ve backed this campaign since it started in 2018 and every year, I’m always fascinated speaking with residents about the different plants they spot in their backyards.
I’m not just talking daisies or buttercups either, but plants we’d not often see in our gardens – one resident told me she’d even started growing wild strawberries!
Worryingly, future generations won’t see these either if we continue down our current path. Tragically we’ve lost 97% of our wildflower meadows since the 30s.
That’s why I’m again urging readers to take part by doing, well, nothing! Leave the mower alone, and watch the flowers fill your lawn.
Check out plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay for more information.
If you can’t imagine allowing your entire patch to run wild, then how about leaving a circle of grass in the centre of the lawn to bloom? Or why not stagger it – so that you have one area that’s mown once a month, one area mown at the end of summer, and so on.
For those without a garden, fear not! I’m urging everyone to check in with their local church, school or anywhere with grass or fields, and ask if some space can be left for nature this year.
Ultimately, the momentum behind No Mow May shouldn’t stop with May, and thanks to the West of England Combined Authority I lead, it won’t.
An incredible 620,000 square metres of land is being transformed for the region’s pollinators thanks to bee-rilliant bee projects we’re funding.
This is double the target I set when launching a £1 million Pollinator Fund for projects that support bees, and other pollinator superheroes.
Projects like the creation of mini nature reserves in ten primary and secondary schools across the West, including in Coalpit Heath, Temple Cloud, and Bristol.
Alongside my annual Bee Bold Awards, we’re making the West the bee and pollinator capital of the country.
But I know we can go further.
So, this year, please give No Mow May a go. Who knows, you might like it so much you give the lawnmower a permanent shunning. The bees will certainly thank you for that.