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Original poster

Are you doing 'no mow may' ?

219 replies

finallygotospeaktoSky · 22/05/2023 13:03

We have large front and back lawns and doing the no mow may the grass is lush and imo flowers, bees, insects and birds visiting are fantastic. We've had goldfinches visit for the first time pecking on grass seeds and various visitors coming in for a peck about.
Our neighbour, on the other hand has started mowing his two lawns twice a week, normally does once a fortnight. PA or what? 😀
Personally couldn't care less what other people do with their gardens but it is amusing all the same.
Anyone else doing the no mow thing and if so, how's it going?

OP posts:
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12
FANCHEA · 22/05/2023 13:05

Yes! No flowers...just long grass. Our cat adores it!

girlfriend44 · 22/05/2023 13:05

no not at all, the grass needs cutting once a week otherwise it looks like an overgrown mess.
Also it much harder to cut when May is over.
Why would you make a whole load of extra work for yourself, just cos somebody said dont cut your lawn in May.

CallMeMousie · 22/05/2023 13:06

I'm still mowing the main lawn (football pitch) but am gradually increasing the parts of the lawn and garden which we allow to grow longer. It's been great for the small birds who live in the hedge but I have struggled a bit with biodiversity - grass and ground elder can be quite thuggish and suffocate quite a lot of other stuff so I'm experimenting with different flowers to see what can compete!

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Gardening
midgemadgemodge · 22/05/2023 13:07

Yes we are doing it

Isn't it strange how we love a meadow yet think it looks unkempt in a garden ! It's just habit of course

I have no difficulties about "extra work" because it could help secure the future of insects , food security for my children

and I have buttercups !

CallMeMousie · 22/05/2023 13:08

girlfriend44 · 22/05/2023 13:05

no not at all, the grass needs cutting once a week otherwise it looks like an overgrown mess.
Also it much harder to cut when May is over.
Why would you make a whole load of extra work for yourself, just cos somebody said dont cut your lawn in May.

Indeed, why make life harder for yourself just to support wildlife???

grievinggirlneedsadvice · 22/05/2023 13:08

Nope, in the Highlands so just cannot with the ticks. Cut my grass= no ticks on cat or on us, no grass cut I see them everywhere including on our picnic table/boots/cats paw/ I wish it was different but I just can't handle the risk of Lyme.

F1ymetothetoon · 22/05/2023 13:08

No because we already have lots of insect friendly plants in the borders so see no need to let the lawn go wild.

thecatsthecats · 22/05/2023 13:08

girlfriend44 · 22/05/2023 13:05

no not at all, the grass needs cutting once a week otherwise it looks like an overgrown mess.
Also it much harder to cut when May is over.
Why would you make a whole load of extra work for yourself, just cos somebody said dont cut your lawn in May.

Do you only ever think about what you want to do, never take inspiration or influence from another person?

It's one stupid thing to slavishly follow trends, but it's another kind of stupid to NEVER consider doing something differently that might benefit another person (or in this case, the environment) at a small expense to yourself.

Peridot1 · 22/05/2023 13:10

No. DH is too obsessed with the “lawn”. I say lawn but it was actually a sheep paddock so is a bit crap!

We are rural though and back on to fields and all along our fences is over grown with lots of cow parsley etc. And our the garden on one side of us is totally overgrown and we have lots of weeds coming in on one side from there which we are leaving alone.

Our raised beds are also currently full of weeds in flower so I think we are doing our bit!

peachicecream · 22/05/2023 13:10

girlfriend44 · 22/05/2023 13:05

no not at all, the grass needs cutting once a week otherwise it looks like an overgrown mess.
Also it much harder to cut when May is over.
Why would you make a whole load of extra work for yourself, just cos somebody said dont cut your lawn in May.

So much of what is wrong with society stems from this sort of attitude.

IglesiasPiggl · 22/05/2023 13:10

We haven't done it in our garden because the DC use the lawn for football, but the park opposite us has done it. I think it's a nice thing to do if it's practical.

EversoDisorganised · 22/05/2023 13:10

Partially, round the edges and under the trees have been left but the main parts of the lawn are being cut once a fortnight on the highest setting. Our cats hate the long grass and most of the flowers in ours are at ground level (primroses which are over now, daisies and speedwell which gradually get swallowed up). We let things self seed all over the place, have lots of nooks and crannies with things growing in and a long established log pile habitat so are doing our bit for nature.

Ivalueloyaltyaboveallelse · 22/05/2023 13:10

I asked DH to roughly cut the back garden as I want DC to play outside and to be able to sit and enjoy the sun. However we’ve left the front garden alone. It’s a big patch and looks a mess but if it’s helping the bees I’m happy to leave it.

DontForgetToBreathe · 22/05/2023 13:12

Yes. Saw it trending on Twitter early on and dh was happy to not have to get the mower out. It’s been lovely. Are the parks doing it too because the cow parsley and buttercups are looking lush and meadowy around here.

girlfriend44 · 22/05/2023 13:12

peachicecream · 22/05/2023 13:10

So much of what is wrong with society stems from this sort of attitude.

Show quote history

personal choice.

TwigTheWonderKid · 22/05/2023 13:12

Yeap, I think we'll do what we did last year and just mow some paths through later in the summer. The lawn is luscious, of flowers and the cat is in his element, pretending to be a lion!

girlfriend44 · 22/05/2023 13:13

thecatsthecats · 22/05/2023 13:08

Do you only ever think about what you want to do, never take inspiration or influence from another person?

It's one stupid thing to slavishly follow trends, but it's another kind of stupid to NEVER consider doing something differently that might benefit another person (or in this case, the environment) at a small expense to yourself.

Show quote history

just cos someone said no mo may dosent mean you have to follow. Personal choice.

Matildahoney · 22/05/2023 13:15

No, we have lots of insect friendly plants, and we back onto a field which isn't cut, so keeping the weeds out of our lawn and weed and feeding it at least 4 times a year is hard enough in itself! The field is perfect for the insects.

midgemadgemodge · 22/05/2023 13:15

No you don't have to

But what a lot of people have done is asked why, sone sone research and decided it's a very good idea

If that happens to be following the crowd - so be it

CointreauVersial · 22/05/2023 13:16

No....because our lawn is pretty small, and we are surrounded by pasture fields which do the job for us.

Original poster
finallygotospeaktoSky · 22/05/2023 13:16

No dc at home just us so very doable.
Girl We've been doing no mow months long before the idea was invented, because we enjoy the wild life in our gardens. It's only hard work to deal with if you've not done it before.
A high cut on our mower [flymo would be useless for this] and does the job quite easily.
The question of ticks is resolved by wearing jeans with old socks pulled over the bottom of the ankles.

OP posts:
peachicecream · 22/05/2023 13:17

girlfriend44 · 22/05/2023 13:13

just cos someone said no mo may dosent mean you have to follow. Personal choice.

Show quote history

No of course you don't "have to follow". No one said you did. You also don't have to post on a forum whinging "why would I do this when it's hard work?"

The reason people do it is because it contributes to biodiversity and a sustainable environment for the future, for the good of all of us - including you.

No one is saying you don't have a personal choice not to do it. But your laziness/ lack of motivation to care (and questioning why other people would) is a bit shit. It's a bloody good job that there are people who care and you could at least be glad that there are, even if you don't.

DiscoBeat · 22/05/2023 13:18

Our main lawn has to be cut a couple of times a week but we've got other areas that we allow to get longer - an orchard area and a a couple of mini wildflower meadows although it's more grass than wildflowers!

caffelattetogo · 22/05/2023 13:19

Yes, it looks lovely and lots more birds.

PinedApple · 22/05/2023 13:19

Going to cut the grass this week because it's so long I have to go hunting for the dog poos lol. But leaving our boarders which are full of weeds and wildflowers Grin