The long and short of it
Years ago an entomologist friend told me that a close-cut lawn is, from an insect’s point of view, a desert – no food, no shelter, a daunting, featureless place. On the other hand, he said, long grass is the insect version of a rain forest, teeming with potential. With that in mind, much of what was originally lawn we let grow wild, in a series of sinuous, winding shapes that add flow and movement to the garden, as well as vital habitat.
This is only an excerpt from Isabel Lloyd’s article in The Tablet 27 May 2023. Isabel Lloyd is co-author of Gardening for the Zombie Apocalypse. How to Grow Your Own Food When Civilization Collapses – Or Even If It Doesn’t. She lives in London and Sussex.
We too are interested in our lawn, small as it is, we like to cut it short. We did listen to the No Mow May and even more we are getting used to untidy garden in the front and in the back. We even noticed that the bees like the clover flower so that clinches it. No mow. No more. As well as all that it is a marvellous excuse for those who are too lazy to mow. Did they know what good they were doing? Inadvertently? Lord, may we all do our part for our small brothers and sisters in the rain forests of our gardens.