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 :)

Sure it was cats? Not their usual toilet choice. Fox?

@heidipi you’ve got white clover in there, and what looks like lesser trefoil or black medick. If you still feel unhappy about it, what I’d do is mow round the tramopline and under the swing, and maybe a path to each.

I'm persevering but I REALLY want to cut. I'm doing it for the crickets! There had better be some this year!

Very tempted to cut a path to separate boarder from grass just to give it a tidier outline.

This is the only bit I've left, everything else is cut as otherwise garden would look a wreck and I need to get some enjoyment out of it!

@Pippy2022 that looks lovely but yes do cut a border around the edge, it makes it look so much better.

@MereDintofPandiculation yes we leave it longer every year starting from about now when the white clover is out as it tends to be crawling with bees (a bit early yet). The sound of summer is me shouting “put some shoes on!” at 2 minute intervals 😁 I didn’t know the other names though, thanks for that.

I’ve never let it grow so early or so long in previous years, I’ve decided to cut the bit alongside the trampoline and round the patio this weekend and leave the rest for now..

It’s been nice to hear and see what others are doing.

If you are cutting long grass with weeds in it, please wear long sleeves and trousers, and goggles. A lot of weeds can cause nasty blisters and allergies, and the extra resistance from long grass means that bits ( and stones) fly up with some force.

To be fair, so can grass.

Also noticing distinct lack of insects and butterflies this year, so very worrying isn't it

I do sections. We don't mow the back part (though we realised, too late, that it was already a meadow and needed some mowing!). We do mow most of the main garden, but leave wild areas around trees.

I like it. I haven't had the issue with cats (and I don't know why as they're everywhere else!). I love seeing the birds come down to eat the seed heads.

This was mine this morning. We’ve cut paths through it.

Beautiful @MotherOfDragonflies

You need to cut it end of June anyway, to simulate natural grazing

Due to dog I have short grass but all along my hedges is left, I don't weed the borders
It's been that dry though. And the seasons are mixed up? Normally at this time of year my garden is a variety of colours. This year it's patchy . Gathering it's due to been so hot last year it's stressed the plants 🤷🏻‍♀️
It's lovely though, just been sat out with my first brew, bees buzzing in the buttercups and the chirp of the baby blackbirds in my hedge . Happy Saturday

I've not mown, but more because it isn't growing in the dry than any particular design plan. Have tried seeding with clover this and last year and it seems too dry for any of that to take too. I even encourage the kids to blow dandelion clocks all over and it is stubbornly devoid of "weeds". I would love a weedy lawn and all I have is grass!

@TheIsleOfTheLost your soil is probably too fertile and in too good condition for weeds. Wild flower an like non fertile soil too.
Dandelions grow where the soils is very poor and compacted and has approximately a four year life cycle where its deep roots break up the soil and pull minerals to the top, its vegetation decays increasing the fertility etc and then when it's done its job doesn't grow in that area anymore.

I live in Norfolk and its incredibly dry here at the best of times and the soil is sandy, for my non wildflower planting I'm moving more towards Mediterranean plants like lavender which can cope with the hot and dry weather.

We have left some areas unmown. One is attracting dozens of butterflies each evening.

Trying again with the photos. Why is this feature so glitchy?

Nope. Still not attaching!

This is mine. It's not even a pretty lawn. Luckily the local cats aren't pooping in it so it's OK for a bit longer. I've got teasles around the edges which are wildlife magnets.

@Singleandproud we are on heavy clay. As soon as it gets dry, the surface is like concrete. The worst thing I when I moved in the lawn was covered in cat's tail. When we had the garden done we re-turfed and did a few years of weed and feed treatment before I saw the error of my ways!

June is a bit early, Higher Stewardship requirements for hay meadows around here are that mowing shouldn't happen before 15 July,

Natural grazing would be little and often throughout the season - little in the sense of not the whole area.

One purpose of mowing is to remove nutrient from the soil (grasses will dominate in high nutrient conditions), so best time is when the grass is at maximum growth and before it starts returning nutrient to roots and soil.

I'm so glad I started this thread- educating me as well as encouraging me to keep going! I strimmed some sections and edges over the weekend which has made the whole thing look a bit tidier, and the long grass seems to have turn a corner. Also the bees seem to have woken up/moved in which is lovely. I moved some plants and tidied up the borders over the weekend and in the smaller front garden I then couldn't resist fluffing up the long grass I'd trampled in the process... this may be becoming an obsession :)

I saw this on twitter which I thought was lovely. The lawn has been cut in parts but not in others so has a nice shape to the long bits

https://twitter.com/pjm1kbw/status/1666849811109228559/photo/1

I understand why it's not being cut but as a hay fever suffered it's absolutely hell! It looks nice.

Here's ours - it's very wild, the grasses, clover & buttercups are nearly knee high.