Wildlife in the garden: Why longer grass is good
Tuesday, 15 February 2011 4:17 PM
The UK's gardening enthusiasts are being called upon to help save the country's wildlife from the rise of urbanised neighbourhoods – but are they willing to give up those beloved stripy lawns?
Changing weather patterns and the need to encourage greater bio-diversity in the UK's gardens have led a major British lawnmower firm to urge its customers to revise their grass cutting habits.
It may seem strange for a mower-maker to suggest we stop trimming our lawns, but earlier this year John Deere launched a campaign to protect the UK's gardens from the ravages of car parking, building and hard landscaping – and its proposed reduction in grass-cutting is the latest part of this regime.
"We recognise that the traditional British lawn of low-cut stripes is not particularly valuable to wildlife. We want to encourage greater bio-diversity among lawn-owners. Our changing weather patterns now urgently demand that we revise the way we mow," says John Deere's David Hart.
And the RSPB clearly agrees, with the society's urban adviser, John Day, having also urged the nation's gardeners to let their grass grow long.
"We believe that the humble lawn is a hugely undervalued wildlife resource. By raising the height of cut and setting aside a long area of grass, people can make an important contribution to their local wildlife," he explains.
For anyone wanting to get involved with John Deere's National Gardens Park campaign, here's all you need to do:
- Raise the height of your lawnmower blades for longer grass throughout the season and lift them even higher during dry spells.
- Leave a specific area of the lawn uncut, so that wild flowers bloom and seed heads develop on the grass to help bees, butterflies and garden birds.
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