Let part of your lawn grow during May
Buriton has been selected as one of a small number of parishes in Hampshire trying to help improve conditions for pollinators.
So, it’s hoped that lots of people will want to take part in ‘No Mow May’: a national campaign encouraging people to find an area of lawn that can be left to grow during May (if not longer) in order to boost the flowers and nectar available to pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies and moths.
This also allows spring flowers a chance to set seed and plants to establish themselves before the summer, creating healthier, more diverse lawns.
Last year’s drought, TV programmes such as Wild Isles and advice at the Chelsea Flower Show are apparently encouraging many gardeners to shift away from traditional bowling-green lawns and look for alternatives.
Details of the Royal Horticultural Society’s ‘Wild About Lawns’ campaign can be found here.
The organisers of ‘No Mow May’ explain “with over 20 million gardens in the UK, how lawns are tended makes a huge difference to the prospects for wild plants and other wildlife. The immaculate bright green lawn with its neat stripes may have historically been the desired garden aesthetic, but increasingly we’re seeing a cultural shift which sees wilder lawns buzzing with bees and butterflies becoming highly valued. A change in attitudes towards lawn management is under way and it’s to the benefit of plants, pollinators and people.”
More details about Buriton’s nature projects are available on the community website here with information about climate care initiatives here.
