No Mow May

No Mow May is a campaign run by the conservation charity Plantlife, asking gardeners across the UK to put the lawnmower away for the entire month of May. The premise is simple. The reasoning behind it is genuinely sound. And if you've been wondering whether it's worth taking seriously or whether it's just another social media moment, you're asking exactly the right question.

The honest answer is: it has real ecological value, but it works best when you understand what it can and can't achieve. Let's get into it.

What Does No Mow May Actually Do?

May is one of the most important months in the gardening calendar for wildlife. Pollinators are emerging in numbers, birds are feeding young, and the plants we tend to dismiss as lawn weeds are quietly doing extraordinary work.

When you stop mowing, those plants finally get a chance to flower. Dandelions, clover, selfheal, and bird's-foot-trefoil are not the nuisances they're often made out to be. They're among the most valuable early-season nectar sources available to bees, butterflies, and hoverflies. Research published by Plantlife found that a single dandelion flower can produce around 13mg of nectar sugar per day, and that white clover is among the highest-yielding nectar plants available to pollinators in the UK. A lawn full of flowering clover in May is genuinely useful habitat. A close-mown lawn is, ecologically speaking, close to a desert.

The same Plantlife research found that unmown lawns can support significantly more plant species than regularly mown ones - in some cases, allowing five or more additional flowering species to emerge within a single season simply by pausing the mower. Those aren't exotic introductions; they're plants already present in the soil seed bank, waiting for the opportunity to grow.

Longer grass also creates shelter. Ground beetles, spiders, and other invertebrates need cover - and these creatures form the base of the food chain that everything else depends on.

Here's an angle that doesn't get nearly enough attention: the birds. Blackbirds, thrushes, and starlings forage actively in longer grass, hunting for the invertebrates that live within it. During May, many garden birds are feeding nestlings, and the protein from insects and worms found in unmown grass is critical. Reducing disturbance to the lawn during this period has a direct, measurable benefit for breeding birds. That's worth knowing.

There's also a soil benefit. Reduced mowing lessens compaction, allows grass roots to deepen slightly, and can improve both drainage and drought resilience over time.

Is No Mow May a Fad or Does It Have Real Value?

Both, in a sense - and that's not a contradiction.

The campaign has genuine conservation backing and has done something genuinely useful: it has brought the subject of lawn biodiversity into mainstream conversation. That matters. Most people have never thought about their lawn as habitat, and No Mow May has changed that for a significant number of gardeners.

The fair criticism is that one month is a limited intervention. Different wildflower species bloom at different times throughout the year. A lawn that's left alone in May and then returned to a weekly mowing schedule in June will provide some benefit, but nowhere near what a year-round, thoughtfully managed lawn could offer.

Our honest position at Cedar Nursery is this: No Mow May is a worthwhile starting point, and we'd encourage anyone to take part. But the greatest long-term benefit comes from changing how you manage your lawn throughout the year - not just pausing once in spring. Think of the campaign as a gateway, not a destination.

How Much Does No Mow May Cost?

Nothing. Participation is completely free. There is no registration fee, no equipment to buy, and no special products required. The entire point of the campaign is that you stop doing something - mowing - rather than starting something new. You don't need to sign up anywhere or spend anything to take part. Simply put the mower away on the first of May and leave it there until June.

If you do want to go further - overseeding with a wildflower mix in autumn, for example, or adding native plug plants - there are costs involved at that stage. But for No Mow May itself, the only requirement is inaction.

Practical Ways to Take Part

The simplest approach is also the most effective: just stop mowing for the month. Even in a small garden, this creates real value.

If you're worried about how the garden will look - and this is a completely reasonable concern - there's a technique that works brilliantly. Mow a path through the long grass. It sounds almost too simple, but it changes everything. A mown path signals intention rather than neglect. It keeps the space usable. And it actually creates what ecologists call "edge habitat" - the boundary between mown and unmown areas where a surprising variety of species thrive. It's one of the most useful things you can do, and it's underused.

If leaving the whole lawn feels like too much, designate a patch. Even a square metre or two of unmown grass, left to flower through May, will attract pollinators and provide cover for invertebrates. Start small if that's what feels manageable.

A few other things worth keeping in mind:

• Avoid using a strimmer around the edges during May - this removes the flowering plants that make the exercise worthwhile in the first place. If you need to tidy borders, use hand shears instead, which allow you to work precisely without destroying flowering plants at ground level.
• Resist tidying up seed heads as May draws to a close - let some plants set seed before you resume mowing.
• Don't edge the borders obsessively during May - the margins are often where the most interesting plants establish.

Common No Mow May Mistakes

Taking part is straightforward, but a few common errors can significantly reduce the benefit - or make the experience more frustrating than it needs to be.

1. Strimming the edges during May. This is probably the single most counterproductive thing you can do. The margins and edges of a lawn are often where the most valuable flowering plants establish - dandelions, clover, selfheal. Running a strimmer along the borders removes exactly the plants you're trying to protect. Use hand shears if you need to tidy up, and work carefully around anything in flower.
2. Mowing back to a low height immediately in June. After a month of growth, dropping straight back to a close cut stresses the grass and can damage the sward. Always reintroduce mowing gradually, starting with the highest setting on your mower and working down over several weeks.
3. Leaving the cuttings on the lawn in June. When you do resume mowing, use a "cut and collect" approach. Leaving clippings as a mulch adds nutrients to the soil, which encourages coarse grasses at the expense of the wildflowers you want to establish. Remove cuttings every time.
4. Treating May as a one-off rather than a starting point. The ecological benefit of a single month is real but limited. The mistake is returning to an intensive weekly mowing schedule in June and doing nothing differently for the rest of the year. No Mow May works best as the beginning of a longer shift in how you manage your lawn.
5. Assuming a small garden isn't worth bothering with. Even a patch of a square metre or two makes a genuine contribution. Scale doesn't diminish the value - a small garden doing something is far better than a large one doing nothing.
6. Mowing the whole lawn right up until the 31st of April. If your lawn is closely cropped going into May, it will take longer for flowering plants to establish. If you can, ease off slightly in the last week of April to give things a head start.

What Happens After May?

This is where many gardeners go wrong. After a month of growth, the temptation is to get straight back to a weekly mowing schedule and reclaim the lawn. Try to resist that instinct. Follow these steps to protect the gains you've made:

1. Start with a high cut in early June. Set your mower to its highest available cutting height and begin there. Reintroduce mowing gradually rather than going straight back to a close cut. Dropping suddenly to a low height after a month of growth can stress the grass and undoes much of the good work. If the grass is very long, hand shears or a scythe can be useful for the first pass before the mower takes over.
2. Use a "cut and collect" approach. Remove the cuttings rather than leaving them as a mulch. This prevents nutrient build-up in the soil, which matters because wildflowers - the plants you want to encourage - generally prefer lower-fertility conditions. Coarse grasses thrive on nutrients; wildflowers don't need them.
3. Work the cutting height down gradually over several weeks. Don't rush back to your usual mowing height. Give the lawn time to adjust and allow any remaining flowering plants to complete their cycle.
4. Consider overseeding with a native wildflower mix in autumn. This is genuinely one of the most rewarding things you can do for a lawn.
5. If possible, convert a section of your lawn into a permanent meadow area. A managed mini-meadow, cut once or twice a year, is far more valuable to wildlife than any amount of monthly mowing pauses.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is No Mow May?

No Mow May is a campaign run by the conservation charity Plantlife. It asks gardeners to stop mowing their lawns throughout May, allowing grass and flowering plants to grow and provide food and habitat for pollinators, insects, and birds during a critical early-season window.

Does No Mow May actually help wildlife?

Yes, genuinely. Common lawn plants like dandelions, clover, and selfheal are valuable nectar sources for bees, butterflies, and hoverflies. Plantlife's research indicates that unmown lawns can support significantly more flowering plant species than mown ones, with species already present in the soil seed bank emerging within a single season. Longer grass also shelters ground-dwelling invertebrates, and foraging birds - particularly blackbirds, thrushes, and starlings - benefit directly from the increased insect activity in unmown grass.

How much does No Mow May cost?

Nothing at all. There is no fee, no registration, and no equipment required. Participation simply means not mowing your lawn during May. It is one of the few conservation actions that costs nothing and requires no specialist knowledge to carry out.

What if my garden looks too untidy during No Mow May?

Mow a path through the long grass. It signals that the growth is deliberate, keeps the garden usable, and actually creates beneficial edge habitat. Alternatively, leave just one designated patch unmown - even a small area makes a genuine difference. Avoid using a strimmer on the edges during May; use hand shears instead if you need to tidy borders.

What should I do with my lawn after No Mow May?

Reintroduce mowing gradually, starting with your mower on its highest setting. Use a "cut and collect" approach to remove cuttings and prevent nutrient build-up. If the grass is very long after a month's growth, hand shears can help manage the first cut before the mower takes over. In autumn, consider overseeding with a native wildflower mix to improve long-term biodiversity.

Can I take part if I have a small garden?

Absolutely. Even a single unmown patch, a metre or two across, provides shelter and nectar for invertebrates and foraging opportunities for birds. Scale doesn't diminish the value - a small garden doing something is far better than a large one doing nothing.

We're less than 5 miles from RHS Wisley, and if you're thinking about taking your lawn in a more wildlife-friendly direction this year, come and see us in Cobham. Whether you're after wildflower seed mixes, native plug plants, or just a conversation about what might work in your particular garden, we're here for it.

Cedar Nursery is a family-run nursery established in 1986, specialising in quality plants, bespoke planters, luxury outdoor furniture, garden structures and outdoor kitchens. We supply nationwide via courier. Browse our full range at landscaping.co.uk or call 01932 862473 for expert advice.