I love the #NoMowMay campaign and finally people are realising that dandelions and daisies are not a danger and clover should not be cleared.
It’s fantastic to see so many people on social media showing photos of their lawn and saying they will let their lawn grow, as part of #NoMowMay.
Research has found that letting flowers and plants within your lawn bloom naturally can provide 10 times the amount of nectar for bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
I would recommend choosing an area of lawn to leave growing, and still mow the parts of the lawn that you use. You could create a wild area at the end of your lawn, or let the whole area grow and just mow paths through it to walk along.
Read the full article here:
www.countryfile.com/news/no-mow-may-why-you-should-lock-up-your-lawnmower-on-1st-may
RHS Chelsea takes centre stage
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show takes place at the end of May and as usual has some amazing garden designers in the line-up.
I’m looking forward to seeing the Cirrus Balcony garden by urban gardener Jason Williams, who taught himself gardening on his 18th floor balcony in the centre of Manchester during lockdown. The garden focuses on the biodiversity of urban centres and will show how city dwellers could make full use of a very small outdoor area.
I also like the look of Sarah Eberle’s edge of the forest garden which illustrates the future of sustainable building, as well as Paul Hervey-Brookes’ garden which shows how brownfield land can be rehabilitated for a new sustainable landscape.
You can see all the garden designs here: www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show/gardens
What have I been reading?
This week I’ve been reading Sowing Beauty by Prof James Hitchmough of the University of Sheffield, who is well known for sowing meadows from seed. The book talks through how to create your own seed mix, native and otherwise, to create a natural meadow.
