There is still time to take part in this campaign.
Have you heard of it? It's called No Mow May.
It means you don’t cut your lawn in May in the hopes of giving dandelions, clover and certain flowers a chance to grow and become sources of nectar for pollinators especially bees.
According to homesandgardens.com, the campaign was launched in Britain in 2019 by a charity called Plantlife. It's now being recognized across North America.
Experts say May is the ideal time “not” to mow as the grass hasn’t reached the height it will later in the season.
How do you participate? Just don’t cut the grass!
That sounds like a plan I could get behind.
I must admit I hadn’t really heard about this initiative until this spring.
To be honest, I just thought a lot of homeowners had gotten really lazy with their landscaping.
It used to be when you saw an unkempt lawn, you surmised the homeowner was on vacation or ill.
In 2022, I figured they just couldn’t afford to fill the gas tank.
Some or all of that might still be true, but just as likely is that residents have decided to be kind to the environment and insects.
If you drive around the city, you can definitely see that it has caught on.
It may not add to the beauty of our neighbourhoods, in the short term, but it's only for a month.
Dandelions have always seemed pretty to me. I think they are beautiful. They were every mother’s first floral bouquet from a child.
I never see that happy yellow flower/weed that I don’t think of my mom proudly displaying a bunch on the kitchen window sill in a glass of water.
I also remember my grandma had a recipe for dandelion wine I used to sample.
People take great pride in their lawns, so I can imagine this idea might make the true gardener/landscapers among us feel faint. The thought of leaving it neglected and wild must make them apoplectic.
But don’t panic. It almost June.
However, the experts say you can go all Rambo on the lawn with the first big cut. They suggest doing it in stages and leaving the grass a bit longer in certain spots than others. No buzz cuts.
It will be interesting to see if we see a slew of mowers out and about next month.
In the meantime, I was impressed with the fact there is a helpful initiative I could fully embrace by virtually doing nothing.
So, how about...
Mega Fun Mondays
Take It Easy Tuesdays
No Wash Wednesdays (laundry, not people)
Taskless Thursdays
Forget Work Fridays
Sloth-like Saturdays
Sun and Sip Sundays
I think with a little publicity and good signs we can spearhead these effortless campaigns… for the greater good.
