Anyone not cutting their grass - how's it going?

[heidipi]

I decided to not mow in May and then see what happened - I like the idea of a less mowing, and a more meadow-y garden. A few weeks in now and I can't decide if it just looks a bugger and I should get the mower out this weekend.

Interested to know if anyone is doing this and how you're finding it. Maybe it's like growing out a fringe and I just haven't got it long enough yet?

Admittedly I haven't done the edges for a couple of weeks, but it's so long now that tidying up the edges doesn't really show anyway. Will try to upload a couple of pics - would be interested to see what others think. The old swing (now used as a climbing frame) doesn't help with the abandoned playground look :)

Erm - not sure why the first image is showing as sensitive content - it's just a bit of garden. Or maybe it really is that bad? 😬

We’re leaving ours as grassy meadow with paths mowed through it

We're mowing our lawn but all the grass verges on our road look incredible. So many beautiful flowers. Lots of really tall oxeye daisies. Must get photos before the council comes around and cuts them.

Ours is wild! I'm going to have problems finding the washing soon.

Neighbourhood cats started using it as a toilet so I got the lawnmower out three weeks in. No more No Mow May for me.

We sowed a wildflower area around our pond and it has spread massively. I only mow a pathway and a seating area throughout the summer. The rest gets mowed/strimmed in March and September

I was doing No Mow May but as with a PP, cats were using it as a toilet. It was also making me depressed as it looked such a mess. The borders got full of weeds as I just didn't feel like doing anything out there.
I didn't see any bees or other insects on the dandelions either.
I have left the big clump of flowering clover and a patch of daisies but cut the rest. I feel much happier now. I am trying now to sort out the neglected borders.

I've just mown mine today. I usually do two or three months every summer but it varies how successful it is. One year I had goldfinches come and feed on the seed heads, but this year it just looked awful and the only flowers were daisies that were getting swamped by the enormous grass so I chopped it down..

I'm going to overseed with as much clover as possible and go for more of a tapestry lawn in future because I really hate grass! (If it were up to me I'd have another flower bed and just have grass paths but DH apparently needs a lawn)

I have a g. Pig . I move her run every day so not mowing but have a very full g pig 😊

@Bluebellbike I've hardly had any insects this year compared to previous yearseven though my garden is full of wildflowers and not just long grass, it's really quite worrying as in previous years its been alive with buzzing and butterflies.

Yes we're definitely not getting loads of bees although on the path up to the allotment there are loads buzzing around.

If you leave it longer it'll turn into a beautiful meadow of grasses.

Ours is looking long and green. I will long cut it before the rain (we rent so it has to look “kept”)

next door keep cutting theirs. They’ve got the sprinkler on it as I type.

Ours is just starting to look beautiful. We haven’t mowed it all this years and getting lots of wild flowers. Will post a photo tomorrow.

Masses of bees here. We have honeybees anyway but there are lots of different types of bumble bees. Very few wasps so far this year but I have seen a few big hornets.

damsel flies a plenty on the pond and a few big dragonflies already.

Cut ours last week, it was really patchy, some bits were lovely and long with different grasses but some bits looked straggly and messy. The DC flattened quite a lot too.

I noticed lots of little flies when I was cutting some of the grasses to go in a vase so hopefully it did some good.

Ours is looking good. Well, a bit straggly, but we have grasshoppers and lots of new plants!! So we're going to keep no mow May going to June...

Ours is looking quite wild but I'm enjoying identifying all the different wild plants that keep appearing - so far: Speedwell, woundwort, Poppy, red valerian, & purple dead nettle. Plus lots of grasses, clover, buttercups, dandelions etc & the ever-present herb Robert.
Not as many bumblebees yet - this year the weather has been against them: cold wet, late spring which means the queens emerged late & then need to get the colonies going. Had our usual mason bees & lots of honeybees too. Leaf cutters will arrive soon.
We're planning to just cut paths through now, rather than mow it all.

I've mowed the lawn but haven't weeded the borders. I have a teeny garden so if the lawn isn't mowed (I didn't last year) the whole garden looked horrific. However now, my borders are chock full of flowering weeds and chock full of bees, it's lovely 😍
I read years ago that a weed is only a plant in the wrong place and although my borders , which are a 4' tangly mess, are very unplanned, the number of bees is just wonderful.

We tried no mow May last year in the back garden. Got some nice cuckoo flowers, but overall fewer flowers than our usual fortnightly mowing - the latter is much better for daisies and clover.

However, the front lawn we've done properly. Seeded with a wildflower mix 4 years ago. Since then it's had an autumn strim and a mow in late December/early January to allow the light in for the early spring bulbs - and apart from that it's uncut all year. It currently looks like this.

Oh thanks so much for all the replies and photos - I’ll keep going for a bit longer now. I’m going to tidy up the beds this weekend and maybe cut the hedge which should make it look a bit more deliberate. No cats crapping in it so far but I will keep an eye out!

I’ve found that in the evening it looks much nicer, because of the light I guess, while in the daytime it looks messy and crispy as it’s been so dry. Supposed to rain here on Saturday so that might help.

@Starlightstarbright1 sadly both our pigs died last year or they’d have been loving this! We used to move their run daily and they mowed a neat rectangle every day 🥰

Remember it's not all or nothing, the point is to have some longer grass and flowers and not have manicured lawns but you don't have to do all of it.

Mind you the areas I've mown a path through are dry, patchy and yellow, living in Norfolk we've not had any rain in weeks and no proper rain in the forecast either, the long grasses and wild flowers are faring much better than the turf.

We’ve left a couple of areas that are really wild (loads of wild rabbits in there!) but moved other areas to use them.

We have a tiny lawn. I left it to the end of May but mowed a path to the patio.

one of the teens mowed it last week as they had friends coming over and wanted to hang in the garden. It looks truly awful now. Dry hay patches. Empty earth patches. A hope the dogs have dug. We can see the dog poo.

wish I had left it really.