I am not a fan of mowing grass. I cut more than my share of lawns in my youth. Mary and I live on a wooded lot, so I have been liberated, at least at home. But, for those of you that still maintain a lawn, there is hope for your liberation as well. Bear with me as I proposed reducing lawn care through “no mow” and “less mow” options.
First, a bit of a rant about why we even have lawns in the first place. English Gardens bear much of the blame because they represent inviting landscapes around homes. We may have liberated ourselves from English rule back in the day, but we are still tormented by those darn gardens. Yes, I know, many of you like manicured lawns. Some may even find Zen through mowing. Sadly, communities are loath to let you not mow your lawn, making us all prisoners of these open spaces, that have little ecological value. Many of my friends have tried to not mow as much on their properties, only to get a notice of violation of an ordinance about maintaining lawns.
When our children were young, I was able to get away with not mowing in the spring before Easter. By then, the grass and weedy plants were getting, well, weedy. Landlords would call to ask whether my mower was working. My response was that I wanted to be able to hide Easter eggs in the tall grass for the kids. Worked well, at least in the spring.
Apart from the lingering influence of our English brethren, many people also fear the critters that they fervently believe come along with tall grass. If you ask folks, eight or nine out of ten will name snakes as their biggest fear. Rats and mice are right behind snakes. The reality does not match those fears. But, getting society to move away from manicured lawns will take time. But we can take baby steps and share why these options are OK for critters that most of us do care about, like pollinators, birds and even some reptiles that we do tolerate, like Box Turtles.
Without getting into a debate about why monocultured lawns are the gold standard, consisting of a single species of turf grass, that requires lots of attention, here are a few topics that may change the tide. Most people love to see butterflies and bees visit their flower beds. Most understand the connection between their vegetable garden plants and pollinators. So, if you carve out a bit of natural area in your lawn (a no mow zone), the pollinators will be close by. Many of our solitary bees and wasps need natural grassy areas for nesting, hunting prey items for their young, and feeding on nectar that wildflowers provide.
So, what alternatives do we have in urban settings that mandate regular mowing of lawns? We can start by mowing less frequently, giving our weeds a chance to flower before the next cut. Every two weeks is the norm most places. Can we try three week or even monthly cycles, perhaps in our backyards, that are out of sight. Setting aside corners of our lawns as no mow zones, that are cut once a year in late winter, will provide useful refuges for pollinators. And the area doesn’t have to be more than a couple of square feet and can be kept tidy along the edges, like a flower bed.
And, my favorite is the movement in the U.K. and U.S. called “No Mow May”, Plantlife UK’s and Bee City USA’s annual campaigns, that encourages people to pack away their lawnmowers, let wildflowers grow, and support nature at home (https://www.plantlife.org.uk/about-us/, https://beecityusa.org/no-mow-may/). I would love to take credit for that one, but no worries, credit is infinitely divisible.
So, there you go, consider trying these baby steps in your community. But don’t be shy in telling your neighbors what and why you are doing so. This could catch on, and our English lawns may evolve a bit.
Hope to see you in our great outdoors!
