The number of people who do not mow their lawns is increasing after a successful campaign to keep the gardens wild, says a leading natural charity.
This year, gardeners are again urged by Plantlife to keep their mower in the shed in May without mowing to allow wild plants to thrive and provide nectar for insects.
Thousands of people are taking part in the annual Citizens’ Research for Flowers Every Flower Counts, the largest survey of garden lawns in the United Kingdom. The charity said the results showed “a radical change in attitudes towards grassland management”. It says 78.8% of 2,157 EFC participants last year did not mow a month before participating in the survey, an increase of 33.6% in 2019.
People who chose not to mow were rewarded with rare plants. Last year, gardeners recorded more than 250 wild plant species, including wild strawberry, wild garlic and many rare plants, including a snake’s tongue fern, a meadow saxifrage, a snake’s bunch and an eyebrow. Many orchids have also been spotted, including the decline orchid, the green-winged orchid, the southern and northern marsh orchids, and the bee orchid.
Ian Dunn, head of Plantlife, said: “These results show that our call for No Mow May has sprouted the seeds and taken deep roots. The results highlight how adopting a little more wildlife in our gardens can be a boon to plants, butterflies and bees. We are excited to see the dawn unfold on a new British lawn. ”
Plants considered weeds should be welcome on lawns in the summer, the charity added, especially those such as dandelions, which provide important nectar to pollinators. Although superior to daisies by 85 to one on a typical lawn for 2021, they produce 9% of its pollen and 37% of nectar sugar. Plantlife said only eight dandelion flowers can produce enough nectar sugar to meet an adult bee’s basic energy needs.
An area of 100 square meters of unmown lawn, according to their plant research, will produce enough pollen to store six miner brood cells and enough nectar sugar to meet the needs of six bees a day.
After May, people with gardens and lawns are asked to mow less in the summer and preferably leave at least part of their garden untouched.
Olli Wilson, a modeler at the National Plant Monitoring Scheme, said: “May is a crucial month for flowering plants that need to be strengthened, but we do not recommend not mowing after May. The Guide to Plant Life during the year recommends a multi-layered approach to garden hair, where shorter grass is complemented by areas with longer grass. This two-color approach increases floral diversity and the production of nectar and pollen throughout the year.
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