For the month of May, Johnson's Lawn Seed is encouraging users to say "no" to mowing their lawns, in a move to halt the declining numbers of bees, butterflies, and wildlife, as part of Plantlife’s No Mow May initiative.
A special new product will also be introduced, helping gardeners to further support our beloved creepy crawlies.
No Mow May returns next month and was first launched in 2019 by the botanical charity, Plantlife to highlight the terrifying loss of natural habitats including almost 7.5 million acres of flower-rich meadows and pastures having been lost since the 1930s.
The result is fewer pollinators and fewer insect-eating birds, with entire habitats on the verge of complete collapse. Recognising this, Johnsons Lawn Seed, alongside the No May initiative is highlighting the importance of our gardens, as a place to support vital wildlife. Small steps, such as having a slightly overgrown lawn or planting wildflowers that are rich in pollen and nectar, will attract beneficial insects and bees to gardens.
No Mow May doesn’t mean messy, overgrown, and scraggy patches of lawn to attract wildlife.
Johnsons Lawn Seed’s Celebration Wildflowers Mix – launched for the 2023 season - can take a part of an existing lawn or flowerbed and convert it into a meadow. Containing bright and vibrant annuals, the mix has 17 different flowering species including cornflowers, poppies, cosmos, marigolds, and daisies, providing a diverse assortment of local insects.
Not only do the Celebration Wildflower tins make ideal gifts for garden-loving friends and family, but they also offer an important gift to nature, as the wildflowers will encourage pollinators into gardens, providing nectar for these vital winged insects. Outdoor spaces will come alive with bees and butterflies for months at a time as soon as the flowers appear.
For those that want to establish grasses as well as flowers, Johnsons Country Meadow Mix when planted in an urban setting is beneficial to support insects and other wildlife. By planting native wildflowers, you will provide attractive drifts of colour throughout the summer months, as well as maintain the No Mow May pledge.
The Country Meadow Mix is a mixture of native origin as sown by professionals and contains birdsfoot trefoil, black knapweed, and yarrow, as well as grasses including browntop bent, crested dogstail and Yorkshire fog. The diverse lawn and native wildflowers are both natural and sustainable and are essential for establishing a healthy wildlife community. Think soft meadow colours, wildflowers, and native plants such as cow parsley, poppies, and buttercups accompanying wispy grasses and you have wildlife-friendly sanctuaries in your backyard.
