Make your lawn a nature reserve in No Mow May campaign

Encouraging gardeners to let their lawns grow wild in May is a simple and effective way to boost nature and help stop climate change.

“I am a big supporter of the No Mow May campaign,” said Midlands green environment Ron Fox, “as leaving the grass uncut will lead to wildflowers growing in the gardens which in turn will benefit bees and other insects.”

Conservation charity Plantlife is urging people to leave their lawnmowers in the shed for a month in order to boost the flowers and nectar available to pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies and moths. It also allows seeds and plants to establish themselves in advance of the summer.

Last year those who joined the campaign reported the growth of more than 250 plant species on their lawns.

Ron said the problem is that nearly 97 per cent of flower-rich meadows have been lost since the 1970s and with them gone are vital food needed by pollinators, like bees and butterflies.

“You used to walk through a garden on a sunny day, and it throbbed with the sound of insects, but not now” he said.

This change is usually blamed on bulldozers building new homes, roads and industrial estates, yet the loss of natural habitats caused by well-maintained lawns offering minimal benefits to wildlife can be just as significant as any construction site.

To put this in context, he said, lawns are the largest irrigated crop grown in the USA covering 40 million acres in total.

Ron added: “A healthy lawn with some long grass and wildflowers benefits wildlife, tackles pollution and can even lock away carbon below ground helping stop climate change.”

With more than 20 million gardens in the UK, even the smallest grassy patches add up to a significant proportion of our land which, if managed properly, can deliver enormous gains for nature, communities and the climate.

“It is time we moved away from the old-fashioned obsession with neat gardens and trying to make their lawns resemble a bowling green with obsessive mowing, plus using chemicals which are not compatible with nature,” said Ron.

The Plantlife charity is also urging people to take part in its Every Flower Counts survey at the end of May, to build a picture of what’s been growing in the UK’s lawns.

Gardeners who replied last year counted more than 465,000 flowers including almost a quarter of a million daisies, wild strawberry plants and wild garlic, plus declining species such as green-winged orchids.

Longer term, the charity is recommending gardeners adopt a “layered approach”, with shorter grass and longer grass living side by side in their lawns.

“But best of all,” concluded Ron, of Noreus Ltd on the University of Keele Science Innovation Park, “to reap these benefits and to reduce the UK’s carbon footprint all you have to do is put your lawnmower back in the shed and not mow your lawn in May! It must be the easiest environmental move that anyone can make.”

If you want any advice on green solutions for your garden contact Ron on 0845 474 6641.

Caption: Going wild this month – this gardener is one who supports the No Mow May campaign.