New mowing regime

[Elen Sentier]

Decided to change how we mow the grass here after Harvestman's last vist. We now hav paths through meadows! It's working quite well so far. Bees and butterflies and hover flies etc loving it. Even more spiders and, of course, more grub for the birds . Here's a pic of one of our wee meadows ...

behind every creative woman there's usually a very talented cat ...

 

[xylaria]

It looks beautiful. What are the blue flowers?

We didn't mow the lawn last year, but the ferrets were getting ticks off the rat runs so we had to mow it. I know there things like birds and insects that predate them, and nature finds a balance.

 

[Stew]

Looks lovely like that.

 

[Niels]

Lovely garden! No such thing as a weed eh?

 

[Mesquite]

That's my kind of mowing regime

 

[treadlightly]

Lovely, the wilder a garden is the better I reckon...or is that the excuse of a lazy gardener??

 

[toilet digger]

Decided to change how we mow the grass here after Harvestman's last vist. We now hav paths through meadows! It's working quite well so far. Bees and butterflies and hover flies etc loving it. Even more spiders and, of course, more grub for the birds . Here's a pic of one of our wee meadows ...

behind every creative woman there's usually a very talented cat ...

It looks beautiful. What are the blue flowers?
.

think that's self heal

 

[Harvestman]

That's lovely Elen. Was it something I said?

 

[spandit]

One corner of my garden is a jungle - hoping it's good habitat for critters. I've never had a Stepford lawn and wonder whether the decline in bees is partly down to AstroTurf style grass...

 

[Elen Sentier]

That's lovely Elen. Was it something I said?

Yup! gave me the final push to do it, been meaning to for a couple of years

 

[Elen Sentier]

think that's self heal

Self-heal it is

Am intending to add more species, by plug plants as seeds not usally effective unless they do it themselves. This link is useful as a starter for 10,if you want to have a go yourself. Want some crabesbill as I love cultivated geraniums anyway, and some scabious, and rattle (if I can manage it), agrimony would be lovely ... we'll see

@Gareth - not lazy actually as it takes a bit of working out where to mow the paths and the spot for us to sit, and it's awkward mowing carefully!

 

[Elen Sentier]

One corner of my garden is a jungle - hoping it's good habitat for critters. I've never had a Stepford lawn and wonder whether the decline in bees is partly down to AstroTurf style grass...

I don't think Stepford lawns are much cop for bees, can't have helped. The bees certainly like our little meadows

 

[xylaria]

here is story of not mowing the grass too much and just what can turn up.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-23204213

Leekes carpark in crosshands is mowed by someone intelligent, they mow around the orchids, and have the blades high enough to let flowers flower. There is quite an aray of mushrooms there as well.

 

[Elen Sentier]

here is story of not mowing the grass too much and just what can turn up.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-23204213

Leekes carpark in crosshands is mowed by someone intelligent, they mow around the orchids, and have the blades high enough to let flowers flower. There is quite an aray of mushrooms there as well.

I'm hoping for orchids too . I must take the time to count the species already there after just a couple of weeks of this regime. We had stitchwort too when I began but it's over now. There are mushrooms as we see them later in the year ... and mow round!

 

[xylaria]

mushrooms dont care if they are mowed or not, if they are in grassland they are mostly living in the invisible magic world in the soil. The mushrooms them selves are just fruits. My mums nieghbourhood where the residents are mostly houseproud old people that mow the law to bowling green levels, have a wide range of very pretty waxcaps on the lawns that pick up the clippings. The lawns that dont pick up the clipping have none. The waxcaps manage to fruit between fortnightly mowings. Leekes carpark however which mows higher, at the moment has the end of the st georges season and the start of fairy ring champigions. Later on it has meadow buff cap and snowy buff caps , plus a good amount of waxcap spieces.

I could send you a small plug of soil from my mums lawn if you want to see if it would culture any waxcaps, the grassland must be not get nitrogen added it. They can survive the very odd bit of animal do-do, but not grassclippings or ferts added.