The Wild Lawn

Introduction

I was always under the impression that lawns should be kept tidy and only have grass, closely cut on them. I have heard of moss lawns, and playing fields, tennis courts, croquet lawns, and bowling greens obviously need to be kept well trimmed and tidy but in recent years my attitude towards grassed lawns and their surrounding has been changing, maybe even evolving.

For this article, I think that "This Garden" by The Levellers is a perfect accompaniment.

How Should A Lawn Really Be?

I used to vociferously clear and kill dandelions wherever I found them but now I am fine, welcoming them, although I still mow my lawn so they don't last, but they have some time there.

We need blooms such as dandelions to enable bees to gather what they need from them to make honey and to pollinate other flowers. I now practice "No Mow May" and have written about it here.

My lawn probably gets mown less these days. Whether that is due to me caring more about the environment or just my inherent laziness I really don't know.

The thing is on my walks I have seen a lot of lawn and garden areas looking wilder and therefore, to me, more interesting. Now it may be people are deliberately letting their gardens and lawns get wilder for environmental reasons, or they just can't be bothered. Whichever way, it is better for the environment.

In 2017 Friends of the Earth published this about councils implementing wildflower verges to help and encourage bees but sadly the main aim seems to be saving money in the face of government cuts while they give the go-ahead to bee-killing pesticides, but the main thing is that it is happening in some areas.

On my wanders, I see a lot of bees where there are the right types of flowers. It's not just dandelions, but as I am a rubbish horticulturalist I just see flowers and blooms as flowers and blooms.

The garden above will be brilliant for butterflies and bees, and it is a joy to see them when I am on my walks.

The point of this is that impeccably manicured lawns are functional, tidy, and acceptable but ultimately boring. You can lie and sit and have a drink or picnic on a nicely mowed lawn but that is about it.

I keep mine tidy though clover and moss and dandelions have encroached on it now. The border areas are a bit jungly but it does make the garden much more interesting.

On the one above there are a lot of colours, plus some rubbish but the butterflies and bees will not be too bothered and there is a huge choice for them and a visual treat for me.

The garden above is turning into something else, but it has a lot of lovely purple flowers. All the pictures I have shared for this piece were taken on this morning's walk, so you can see that there are a lot of ways to make sure that our pollinators have somewhere to get the materials that they need to survive and to make plants grow, which in turn ensures the survival of the human race.

Author's Supporting Final Notes

As you can see, even some major organizations are aware of the importance of making sure that wildflowers can flourish. Factory farms and a lot of regulating authorities have been destroying wildflower environments but in some areas, this is now turning, not least the people who let their gardens go a bit wild, and the No Mow May movement.

Here are some links to ways of maintaining wildflowers, publicly and privately.