As summer fast approaches, many of us will be looking to spruce up our gardens with blossoming flowers and a well-kept lawn as we spend more time outside. However, homeowners are being urged to rethink their garden plans in a bid to help wildlife thrive.
A poll has revealed that many homeowners associate dandelions, thistles and buttercups as weeds, rather than wildflowers, leading to the flowers getting the chop as people upkeep their gardens.
In a bid to prevent the destruction of colourful wildlife this summer, the conservation charity Plantlife has kicked off its annual campaign, “No Mow May”. It encourages homeowners to leave their mowers in the shed for the month and into the summer to boost flowers and wildlife.
It comes as a poll of more than 2,000 people by Opinion Matters for the charity found that more than half (56%) of those quizzed thought dandelions were a weed, while almost as many (52%) labelled thistles as weeds.
A quarter of people (26%) also thought clover was a weed, while just over a fifth (21%) thought the same for buttercups and daisies.
The revealing polling also shows people want to remove plants they consider to be weeds, with concerns that they spread too quickly, are unattractive, are signs of an unkempt, neglected garden, and compete with flowers and grass for space and nutrients.
But a quarter of those quizzed think some weeds have beautiful flowers and can add to a garden’s charm, while a fifth saw them as a vital source of pollen and nectar for pollinators.
The polling also revealed just a third of people mowed their lawn every two to three weeks during May, with more than a fifth mowing once a week or more, just as many flowers are starting to bloom.
That includes wildflowers commonly found in lawns and gardens such as dandelions, daisies, buttercups, clover and thistles, which provide food for pollinators and other wildlife.
Plantlife says gardeners can help a range of species by relaxing their mowing regime and creating different zones such as functional short turf alongside perennial herbaceous borders and flowering lawn.
Lawns with the highest number of wildflowers – from yellow rattle and white clover to selfheal, cowslips and even orchids – are those which have patches with grass of different lengths, the charity says.
And longer grass will encourage species such as burnet moths, nursery web spiders and grasshoppers, while waxcap fungi including blackening waxcap or witches’ hat can flourish in unfertilised, mossy lawns.
Nicola Hutchinson, director of conservation at Plantlife, said: “It’s time to rethink wildflowers – they aren’t weeds, they are unsung heroes of the natural world.
“Key to garden ecosystems, wildflowers support pollinators, insects and even birds, playing an important role in the food chains for wildlife.
“With over 23 million gardens in the UK, using no mow May as the starting point for relaxing mowing through the whole summer can deliver big wins for plants, pollinators, people and the planet.”
Sarah Shuttleworth, specialist botanical adviser at Plantlife, added: “If you struggle dealing with long grass, even a reduction in mowing to once a month throughout the summer can boost lawn biodiversity.”
She said householders who do not have a garden could still transform yards or balconies into a “mini haven” for plants and pollinators.
Plantlife also campaigns for public spaces, such as parks and road verges, to be managed in wildlife-friendly ways, with Mark Schofield, road verges and green spaces adviser at Plantlife, saying: “Changing the way we manage grassland creates space for nature, while still meeting community needs.
“It reimagines road verges as wildlife corridors, supporting biodiversity and helping to build climate resilience, while keeping roadsides safe.”
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