Are you doing 'no mow may' ?

[finallygotospeaktoSky]

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?

We do no mow most of the year as doing the garden is far, far down the list of stuff to do. Nearly all of my 'environmentalism' is due to avoiding spending money or just not being arsed as there's other stuff to do, or just my preference for non-environmental reasons.

I suspect many people are like me.

Yes, good for wildlife and lots of daisies which looks pretty.

We have a large garden. DH has mown paths in it down to the bees and to the chickens and other ares but other than those narrow pathways it's been left to meadow. There are already grasshoppers around.

Yes, though will need to do a cut perimeter at the front to make it look intentional (neighbours dog craps all over the back so they can suck it up frankly)

Yes, I was doing it before I knew it was a thing but more as an act of passive aggression to be honest! We only have a small bit of grass out the front which isn't seperated from the neighbours patch of grass. They cut their half and ignored ours when my partner always used to do it all in one for the neighbour before she got a new bloke, he very painsakingly only does their own half! So I decided we'd leave ours long so that the entire patch looks ridiculous! He's done a shit job of cutting their bit anyway it's all brown and patchy, probably should have left it!

Yes but mostly because of a lack of time, strimmer needing new wire and the fact that cutting grass triggers my hayfever.

I'm hoping a friend might do it for me. If my neighbour complains, I'll suggest that if it bothers him he's welcome to cut it

I am. My front bush really needs a trim now.

We tried. Our garden is a bit of an odd one as it's sort of in sections thanks to the geography of the plot. So the very back section is about ten X 3 metres and we have already let that go wild in a managed way. I pull out the brambles because they just take over and I've thrown loads of wildflower seeds. I also add a bit of mulch once a year. It has all sorts there now, buttercups, selfheal, forget me nots, etc etc.

We tried to do no mo may in the back lawn area. We actually didn't mow it in March or April either. So it had its first cut at the weekend. Unfortunately it was getting to the point where we would have needed it professionally cut if left much longer.

Out the front has been mowed throughout to keep it looking neat. I don't feel too guilty because it could always be block paving instead! Or, god forbid, astro turf (shudders).

Hybrid approach here. Area of permanent meadow down the end (it doesn’t get more interesting than different grasses plus clover and buttercups), mown near the house, and an area that’s usually mown but left alone for May in the middle.

Thank you. I've been trying yellow rattle and had a bit of success. It's the ground elder which is the real bugger - digging it out doesn't work so I'm trying to go with it and put in other thugs!

We have left patches but not all of it as it's hard to cut when it's really long. It's more full of weed than grass anyway but I quite like them. There's a little pink flower which I think is a type of cranesbill, lots of daisies, dandelions, buttercups and clover and also moss plus some I haven't looked up what they are yet.

We are doing semi-mow May - we’ve left a lot of the lawn to do its own thing, mostly where it died last year, and where lots of wild flowers have sprouted in place of the grass. We are still mowing a poop patch for the dog, a bit for DS to play in, around the washing line and the path up to my workspace. However that still leaves a lot unmown. It looks really lush and gorgeous, and the bees are loving it.

We tried to but we broke and mowed the front lawn yesterday, but we have left the lawn at the back because the dogs love it. Our whole garden has been planted with wildlife in mind including several ponds.

No because of my hayfever and because it’s harder to pick up the dog poo from long grass.

I am maybe being dense, but if no mow May is about protecting wildlife and giving them natural spaces, surely cutting your grass on June 1 ruins all of that?

Mine hasn't been mown since last year and generally do keep it long

However I couldn't get to the washing line so did a first cut. I mowed round the buttercup clumps and kept gone long grass for the cats

I'm not joking though when I say it was over knee high in places

No. We'd never get the mower through it. But we are surrounded by wild braes and trees.
I don't want ticks (deer wander at the back of us) or to provide a habitat for rats.

But I have lots of Scottish wild flowers, shrubs, plants and trees. I have noticed more garden birds this year which surprised me after bird flu (we lost a lot of sea birds which went hand in hand with the rat issues) .

It's the virtue signalling attached this one with the social media posts. There are lots of ways to support wildlife. If this is all you can do, great. It works for social media because it's simple and easy. But it is not the only way to do your bit and doesn't make it superior to any of the other methods.

Yes and we've got some pretty flowers and the lawn is a beautiful shade of green...but we've also got weeds and it's all got very long. Mixed feelings about it.

How can not mowing involve more work than mowing? For the first cut in June just put your lawnmower on highest setting.

No mowing is happening here!

You're supposed to do it longer really, for the whole of spring/summer ideally but any little helps I guess.

Hate plastic grass with a passion but then I hate a lot of modern life, too many cars on the road, paving over front gardens and more.
I don't judge other peoples lives because it's their choice. it's not their place to judge mine either.

This sign is the kind of twee twattery that would make me (lifelong vegetarian, cycles instead of drives where possible, tries to tread lightly) cut my grass twice a week.

Okaaaay

I thought it was to fill the ‘hungry gap’ for birds and insects before traditional garden plants come into their own.

Incidently my other elderly neighbour fusses about his lawn too, if there is so much as a leaf on it he runs out all guns blazing. It's all so anal and tedious, he's tutted and looked pointedly at ours I just smile and ignore.
You can moan as much as you like matey.