To mow or not to mow: What to do with no mow May lawn now it's nearly July

[PaperBlinds]

We didn't mow in May, nor this month, mainly to see what would happen, apart from a path down the middle. Lawn is now over a foot tall and we have clover ☘️. The grass is all in seed and looks lovely, but what next? With hot and drought coming should we cut it back (i need a scythe!) or let it go over, set seed and dry out?

it's somewhere between unkempt and a grass meadow. I was aiming at the first image but it looks more like the second.

I have the same dilemma and am also slightly worried about it all going up in flames if the hot weather continues and the neighbours continue using their barbecues. I would love to scythe all mine, love the idea, but suspect I would end up slicing off a bit of me, I'm a bit clumsy.

@RobertsRadio same same! Fire, loss of toes in scything incident, also I don't know if it's better to leave long to protect underneath or whether if i did sycthe/strim/mow its all just bald and dead anyway 🤷🏽‍♀️

We did this as a student and it basically turned to 1m nettles which we then had to dig up the entire garden to get rid of.

I’m glad you’re not my neighbour!

Sounds bloody awful. Get it cut.

I would cut more paths, random circles, even a knot garden kind of design. Make it a bit more manageable. If it all gets cut now, it will be dry and brown in this weather.

You can buy grass hooks which are easy to use, bit more manageable than a scythe.

We started cultivating ours as May ended. We've left a few areas as long grass, also added wildflower seeds into those areas and the rest we scythed and mowed. So we have areas along fences, around the benches and trees, down the side of the garden room etc and they're full of purple poppies, nigella, daisies, foxgloves and similar and the grass is in seed. It actually looks lovely. At the end of May, it looked a bit bonkers.

We've had a huge number of bees and butterflies. There are at least 40 bees out there atm. I've been sitting watching them in the poppies.

Our neighbours love it too thankfully.

When you do cut, please check for hedgehogs as many are unfortunately being injured following no mow May. They aren't t always easy to spot. If you find one, please leave it in its wee nest and it'll move on in time. They may have picked your outgrown lawn as a space to nest :)

I’d leave it long - the longer grass absorbs the heat (like trees do) so it is actually cooler and and provides much needed shade for critters for hide from the heat.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jun/23/let-weeds-climbers-grow-help-wildlife-beat-heat-top-gardener

The linked article is from a Springwatch presenter and garden expert.

Why?

OP, we have left our front garden (larger than the back which is all paved) all year. It is now getting to the point where I'm going to strim a large central patch but more so that the wild areas look more intentional.

We've got a ton of different grasses, clover, cornflowers, poppies. I was out deadheading roses yesterday and a woman with her dd walked past and said how gorgeous she thought it was.

I have bits I leave long until around august. It starts to yellow and fall over then so I give it a strim. The bits I do mow are currently full of clover flowers and covered in bees buzzing away.

I didn’t know about the no mow May.
We have been leaving a small patch to grow long in our garden for a number of years now because we noticed how much the bees liked the clover so we left it uncut. We have Bluebells/frittilllaria/cowslips and this year marguerites have appeared . The cats love it for curling up in to sleep.
it does get cut down later in the year. Luckily small enough patch to strim.

I wouldn't mow, strim a bit. Mown grass looks sad and dead, and l worse when it's naked dry than long grass.

Please be careful,when mowing or cutting this sort of area. Many of the self seeded plants are irritant, and the insects living there don’t like being disturbed and will bite or sting.

when cutting, wear long sleeves and trousers, gloves and goggles. A face Sheila ( seen in Covid), sold for strimming, is probably the best idea.

We're waiting a couple more weeks, for more seeds to set and shed and then hopefully for rain to come, and to piss off all the passing misery guts who don't like tall grass & flowers 🙂

I've left meadow areas in the middle and around the edges. It's only a small lawn but it's much better for being half meadow.

I talked to next door about this - their garden looks like your first picture. They said they did quite a lot to make sure they got a good mix of grasses, wildflowers etc - they considered laying pre-prepared wild meadow turf, but the area was too big so it was too expensive (good for a smaller area though!)

In the end they basically laid a new lawn but with wildflower seeds, put fleece on top for a few weeks, and now it's the summer they're just focusing on pulling out any nettles, dock or brambles that have managed to sneak in.

We don't have any wild flowers yet, apart from clover (if that counts) not even daisies, which is very disappointing.

@Allthegoodnamesarechosen thanks for the reminder I am v cautious and now usually garden in a mask.

would love to find a hedgehog 🦔 @GinBooksChocs but unlikely- we have never seen them here in 15 years and i think the dog would have suffled them out.

slightly concerned about ticks which are on the rise locally.

great link @Wednesdaysotherchild - thank you! Good to know it helps - we have been encouraging ground cover on the borders too to keep things cool (by encouraging ground cover I actually mean failing to weed)

and agree @FoodCentre!

I think a bit of trimming/strimming and shaping will help, but will avoid anything too extreme as it will just look like scorched earth.

I care not one jot what the neighbours think as they use a hose in the heat on their increasingly bald brown lawn.

We’ve had a meadow/grass patch for 4 years at the back of our garden. I’ve planted loads of bulbs in it, including gladlioli, Dutch iris and alliums that flower in late summer. Atm there are fritallia in it, which are starting to naturalise and look lovely. Not had too much luck with wildflowers, but I’ve not made any effort in that regard and I’ve got a few things that are about to flower that I’m hoping are wildflowers. It’s absolutely loved by insects.

Sorry the alliums etc flower in late spring!

Also, don’t have fritalia right now, I meant Triteleia ‘Queen Fabiola’

@theremaybetulipsahead Love the corrects for accuracy l! I am just impressed by your efforts!!

This is interesting as I had been wondering about this, especially as my garden is full south facing in Kent.

Thanks for all the advice about hedgehogs and plant irritants and will be very careful as would love to have hedgehogs in garden.

I can confirm that, like others, I have seen loads more insects and bees this year and seen and heard more birds in the grass and hedge, it's wonderful.

I have decided to just take the top couple of inches off for now with shorter areas just around the rotary washing line and the birdbaths for ease of access.