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You may have heard about No Mow May, a fairly recent phenomenon that began in the United Kingdom in 2019 and has quickly spread to communities all over the United States. The main reason to resist mowing at this time of year is to allow the first flowers of spring to bloom in your lawn and provide food for early spring pollinators. No Mow May has been covered approvingly by no less a fringe publication than Better Homes & Gardens and is helping people start to think critically about their lawn care. The Springfield Township EAC launched a No Mow May program this spring, and other local townships are considering similar initiatives.
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I have experimented with No Mow May for the past two years and can report that many lovely native flowers appeared such as lavender daisy fleabane, golden ragwort, and blue-eyed grass. Not mowing also allowed oak saplings to emerge: a surprise free tree nursery!
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So what should you do when the month is over? Doug Tallamy complicates the concept. As reported in The Wall Street Journal, "Dr. Tallamy sees little logic in letting lawns grow longer for a few weeks. 'If people simply let their grass grow for a month and then revert to a clipped green monoculture, they are teasing pollinators with short-term snacks followed by starvation.'"
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For the area of your yard that you plan to keep as lawn, consider raising your mower height to four or four and a half inches. You can also try mowing every other week or once a month instead of weekly. Both of these strategies allow more flowers to survive for pollinators while also reducing air and noise pollution and saving fossil fuels.
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And if you want to let the lawn go after May, mow an edge around it, and call it a meadow, check out the findings of researchers at Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, who did that and then observed the pollinators that came. (Part 1 and Part 2)
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Continuing with last month's theme of starting somewhere, I cleaned out the bed of hostas and lesser celandine by my house and planted some native shade-tolerant plants. I look forward to seeing them spread out and flower into the fall. My next step will be to kill the grass in the strip between the bed and the walkway and double the size of the bed.
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May is filled with opportunities to buy plants for your own yard or volunteer to plant in someone else's yard. It all looks good to a bee!
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Check out our local native plant sales and nurseries!
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Join our team!
| Journeywork will be planting in |
- East Norriton on 5/5 from 12-2:00 and 5/6 from 9-11:00
- Plymouth Meeting on 5/7 from 2-4:00
- Gwynedd on 5/20 from 9-11:00
- Upper Gwynedd on 5/27 from 8:30-10:30
| And we will be having a not-a-lawn party on 5/28 at 3:30 to showcase the new plants in Upper Gwynedd. Please join us for any or all of these events! |
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Journeywork client Jules wanted to start somewhere in his shady backyard. He would like to reduce mowing and increase healthy habitat. We planted a groundcover called woodland stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) beneath maple trees and between existing violets and moss. We took out some grass and will monitor how well the stonecrop spreads and shrinks the lawn.
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Seeking Young Gardeners
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Gardening is a powerful learning experience for young people. Journeywork has tools and gloves for young gardeners and is looking for homeschool groups, afterschool programs, and families joining forces in neighborhoods who would like to create and install gardens.
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Buy a book and support Journeywork!
She Held Her Breath in Wonder is a picture book for ages 5-10 about Maria Sibylla Merian, a young girl in 17th century Germany who was captivated by butterflies. Their metamorphosis fascinated her at a time when scientists did not really understand how a butterfly developed. This book follows Maria's story as she grew into a gifted painter who overcame many obstacles to travel to Suriname, where she studied the butterflies there and painted them in all their stages, transforming how scientists understood metamorphosis. You can see a copy of the book Maria created at the Academy of Natural Sciences, and you can buy a copy of Paige's book here.
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If Journeywork inspires you to sheet mulch, start seeds, or plant some native plants in your yard, please send us a picture! Let's celebrate and support each other!
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If this newsletter gives you something you can use, please consider donating--every little bit helps!
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Our wish list
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Rubbermaid bins with lids for storing gloves and tools
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clean, gently used 5-gallon buckets
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