There is plenty to do in the garden as summer approaches, but the good news is you will have more time to enjoy the sun as gardeners are being asked to leave their lawns alone. Let it Bloom June is a campaign encouraging people to stop mowing as often to allow native grass, wildflowers and other bee friendly plants to flourish in their garden.
This will help support your local environment as it supplies more nectar to pollinators that are in decline like ladybirds, butterflies and, of course, bumblebees. Mark Schofield, an expert from Plant Life, has shared not mowing in June not only helps wildlife but it can keep your garden looking beautiful even as the weather heats up.
He said: “You will find that even in the fiercest droughts the wildflowers will stay green and keep flowering, while grasses fall dormant and turn brown.”
Having more pollinators and wildflowers in your garden not only makes it look spectacular, but not mowing can also allow the grass to rest to help prepare it for summer.
Mowing the lawn frequently can stress the grass out as the temperature rises, so letting it rest in June can give it a chance to repair itself so it will grow much thicker.
Certain wildflowers like clover can also naturally fertilise the soil with more nitrogen, which also helps grass grow much stronger.
Allowing grass to grow out also helps a lawn develop deeper roots which can help it retain more water and become more resilient to drought.
Lawns often turn yellow and patchy in summer due to a lack of water, but holding off on mowing now can help strengthen the grass and improve its health before the hottest weather arrives.
Everyone loves a tidy lawn, but if stopping mowing completely is too much of a commitment, then you can still help the bumblebees out by simply mowing less frequently.
If you wish, you can also keep a small part of your garden wild while still keeping your barbecue or lounge chair area neat so you have somewhere to relax this summer.
Mark said: “You might need to keep your paths and recreation areas mown short but perhaps you could frame these functional areas with a flowering lawn mown once every 4 to 8 weeks.
“This allows common, low-growing wild flowers to regrow and reflower throughout the summer while you maintain a shorter, neater height.”
Before mowing make sure to check your lawn for any wildlife that may be hiding to cool off during the warm weather.
Animals like hedgehogs enjoy taking shelter in long grass and bushes, so always take the time to search your lawn and also go slowly to flush out any critters hiding nearby.
You can also set the lawn mower blades as high as possible as it is more gentle and helps trim the grass while still leaving some height to protect wildlife.
Make sure to always collect any grass clippings after mowing as rotting foliage can smother any wildflowers trying to grow.
However, if you do decide to stop mowing as frequently, or even stop completely, then you can help your lawn prepare for summer, have a stunning garden filled with flowers as well as greatly help out your local community this June.