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May might be over, but the No Mow Movement is still well underway – welcome Let it Bloom June!
Did you know that Let it Bloom June follows straight on from No Mow May?
We launched No Mow May™ in 2018 to encourage people to manage their lawns for nature – but it was always just part of the growing No Mow Movement.
Our aim is simple: to get people cutting less, for longer.
So as we move into June, here are some ideas of why you should take part, how you can maintain a space for your local wildlife, how you can mow when you’re ready and how you can build on your success while keeping things under control, we’ve got you covered.
The No Mow Movement isn’t about throwing away the mower altogether – it’s about trying to replicate some of those lost meadows at home.
How you choose to continue (or begin) the Movement is up to you:
A great way to continue the No Mow Movement throughout the seasons is to dedicate sections of your lawn to different length grasses.
Putting the mower away doesn’t have to mean a messy a lawn – have you ever thought about bringing in some design to your wildflower landscape? There’s all different kinds of grassland wildlife and you could incorporate these different elements into your plan.
You could consider mowing meandering pathways, or straight walkways to areas like patios or front doors. You might need to keep your paths and recreation areas mown short but you could frame these functional areas with a flowering lawn mown once every 4 to 8 weeks.
Sections with more regular mowing allow common, low-growing wildflowers to regrow and reflower throughout the summer while you maintain a shorter, neater height. Picture a carpet of red and white clovers, golden trefoils, puddles of blue selfheal and the white froth of yarrow. You will find that even in the fiercest droughts, the wildflowers will stay green and keep flowering while grasses fall dormant and turn brown.
These areas can sit alongside longer lawn areas that you can mow to mimic a hay meadow at the end of July, and bold borders that are left to grow wild with tall grass tussocks.
If you are feeling bolder you might want to trial leaving some of your open space unmown for longer.
By mowing only twice a year outside of April to July you could try to recreate the effect of a traditional hay meadow. This allows taller growing flowers such as Red Campion, Common Knapweed and Oxeye Daisy to bloom.
You could use this section of grassland as a perennial, herbaceous border you never need to weed, feed or water!
Spaces like these hold more value for wildlife because when left undisturbed for longer, wildflowers and grasses can support the lifecycles of those invertebrates that depend upon them.
Plantlife’s No Mow Movement is here – let’s let it grow for nature! Pledge to take part today and get a FREE No Mow guide.
It’s one of the easiest ways to connect with wildlife and the perfect way to start supporting nature in your garden (in May and beyond!).
Why not use the borders around the boundary of your plot to take it to the next No Mow stage?
Grassland left unmown won’t support so many wildflowers but it will provide vital sanctuary for wildlife during hot summers and cold winters.
Tussocks of grass and tall herbs will develop, and this structure is a great way to provide another niche for wildlife that complements the more flower-rich areas.
These strips only need to be a few feet wide at the base of your hedgerow and they only require a minimum of management. To keep on to top of them, snip out woody saplings or Bramble.
These long spaces provide vital protection for toads and voles while seedheads will act as natural bird feeders for visiting finches.
If your grassy growth has gotten away from you, don’t panic. While not all mowers can cope with tall vegetation, most can if you mow in 2 stages.
Before you mow, it’s really important to check your lawn for wildlife – we have some top tips at the bottom of this page to help with this.
Once you’re ready to mow, never mow around the edges towards the centre. This leaves no escape route for wildlife. Instead, as you mow, progress gradually towards sanctuary areas such as uncut grass strips at boundaries.
Next, set the blades as high as possible and mow strips that are only half as wide as the mower. This will reduce the load on the mower’s engine and make the job easier.
Finally you can go over the mower again as normal with blades set lower to finish the job. Alternatively, if you have one, a strimmer can be a better way to tackle a taller sward.
This will prevent the build-up of cuttings which can stifle the regrowth of wildflowers. With no cuttings to rot back down into the soil, it will also help to reduce the fertility of the soil. More fertility will encourage grass growth and not wildflowers. This produces a lush green lawn but it will be much less colourful and much less valuable for wildlife.
In fact, by removing the cuttings each time you cut, fertility will reduce each year meaning that regrowth will be less and less each year. That means you won’t need to cut so often in the future so you can save yourself the effort, electricity, money, reduce your carbon footprint and enjoy the wildlife!
Wilder lawns also capture and lock away more carbon in the soil, so you will be doing your bit for the climate too.
You can use cuttings to mulch your vegetable beds to suppress weeds, retain soil moisture and add fertility where you want it. Composting is also a great way to recycle your cuttings with other organics into soil you can use next season.
Some wildlife may have taken refuge in your liberated lawn. Here are some quick tips for keeping wildlife safe while you mow:
Join our Specialist Botanical Advisor, Sarah Shuttleworth, for a deep dive into the history of lawns – from how they started to what they represented.
We’re know that No Mow May benefits biodiversity and our pollinators – but did you know that not mowing can also be a huge benefit to amphibians like frogs?
It’s not just wildflowers which benefit from not mowing our lawns this May. Pollinators and other wildlife bring our gardens to life!
There are so many benefits to taking part in the No Mow Movement. From helping wildflowers and grasses to grow freely, providing food for pollinators, habitat for wildlife and helping to tackle the changing climate.
We're not the only ones who love all the benefits of No Mow May! Here, the Butterfly Conservation joins us to give their top 5 species to look out for in your No Mow Movement area.
As well as bringing back the bloom to our lawns, there are many ways you can get involved with No Mow May, even if you don’t have a garden.
If you have any questions before getting started, from what happens when you stop mowing, to which flowers might pop up – here’s everything you need to know to join the movement.
For the past 7 years, thousands of people have joined our No Mow May movement, choosing to give nature a boost by letting their lawns grow.
This year, it’s all about the flowers! We want as many people as possible to give power to the flowers by letting their lawns bloom throughout May and beyond.
No Mow May™ is Plantlife’s annual campaign we launched in 2018 to encourage people to manage their lawns for nature.
But No Mow May is just the beginning, it’s followed by Let it Bloom June and Mow-saic months right the way through. They’re all part of the growing No Mow Movement!
We see May as an entry point for people, whether you’re someone who has never thought beyond a neatly manicured lawn or someone who has always wanted to try gardening for nature. Our aim is simple: to get people cutting less, for longer. So, whether you join us just for May or stick with it all season, it all makes a real difference for nature.
We chose May to get started, because that’s when most of our wonderful wild plants are getting going for the season. Giving them time during this period gives them a good head start.
At this time of year, your garden can also become a haven for wildlife at a time when it is greatly needed.
We think of May as the starting point, a springing board for managing your lawn for nature year round. Sometimes it’s easier for people to start small, before committing to a bigger shift in their gardening journey. The goal is to mow less for longer.
Why not check out our No Mow Movement Calendar for top lawn tips throughout the year.
The No Mow Movement Calendar
2025 will be our 7th No Mow May! We started the Movement back in 2018 and thousands of people have joined us over the years, creating space for nature in their gardens.
Approximately 97% of flower-rich meadows have been lost since the 1930s, and with them, vital food and habitat needed by wildlife.
While this fact is alarming, joining the No Mow Movement is one way we can all help. There are more than 20 million gardens in the UK, and every patch, no matter how small, can add up to deliver huge gains for nature, people and the climate.
Plantlife’s No Mow Movement is here – let’s let it grow for nature! Pledge to take part today and get a FREE No Mow May guide.
The good news is that everyone can take part in No Mow May! Even the smallest areas can add up to big wins for nature. So, whether you have a tiny space, a balcony or no garden at all, there’s always ways to join the movement.
You could make a mini meadow in even the smallest garden, or you could create one in a planter. Read our 6 Ways to do No Mow May Without a Lawn blog here, for more ideas.
Parks, road verges and village greens can all be turned into wild areas. Look out for your local Friends of Group to see if there’s any green spaces you could get involved in. If you’re not lucky enough to live close to an established group, why not consider starting your own community meadow? Read our guidance here for more information.
We’re glad you asked! It’s super easy to join the movement, all you need to do is sign up here, then put your feet up and let nature do the rest! And, for some top tips on taking part, read our lawn guide here.
The more people that sign up the better! We have streamlined our sign-ups so it’s quicker than not mowing your lawn! Registering helps us to keep track of the space that is being created for nature across the UK.
Plus, by joining the No Mow Movement you will also get access to exclusive tips, guides, stories and badges
How you take part in No Mow May is up to you — but if you want to give biodiversity the biggest boost, there’s a simple trick –, variety!
Keeping 2 to 3 different grass lengths throughout the summer helps maximise flower variety and the nectar they produce.
Nature will thank you! Giving your lawn a mowing break over the summer can allow time needed by wildflowers, to grow, bloom and set seed.
Wilder lawns are great for nature, for carbon storage, biodiversity and of course wildlife! From the insects and birds that can hide away in longer grasses, to the pollinators that wildflowers will feed, your lawn will be buzzing with life.
We encourage people to manage their lawns for nature all year round, and management does include mowing. We know that some people will need to mow more frequently than others – it’s all about mowing less for longer. Even cutting down to mowing once a month can boost lawn biodiversity and help pollinators.
If you are leaving your lawn for nature all summer long, we know that the grassy growth might get away from you.
But many mowers can cope with taller vegetation, especially if you mow in 2 stages:
Firstly, check your lawn for wildlife – and never mow around the edges towards the centre, this leaves no escape route for wildlife. Instead, as you mow, progress gradually towards sanctuary areas such as uncut grass strips at boundaries.
Next, set the blades as high as possible then mow strips only half as wide as the mower. This will reduce the load on the mower’s engine and make the job easier. You can then re-pass as normal with blades set lower to finish the job. Alternatively, if you have one, a strimmer can be a better way to tackle a taller sward.
Remember to remove your grass cuttings after you’ve finished strimming or mowing to prevent nutrient build-up on lawns, which can be detrimental to many wild plants.
This can depend on many of different things from how nutrient– rich your garden is, to the PH of the soil and what has seeded there naturally over time.
Common flowers you can look for include the Bird’s-foot-trefoil, Creeping Buttercup, Daisy, Dandelion, Clover, Self–heal and speedwells.
The more you let nature back into your garden, the more likely you will be to see wildflowers in the future. However, if you want to encourage more wildflowers into your lawn, there are a few things you can do.
Read our Increase the Number of Wildflowers in your Lawn blog here to find out more.
Increase the Number of Wildflowers in Your Lawn – Plantlife
We know it’s not practical for everyone to leave their entire lawns all summer long – that’s why we recommend a mow-saic approach!
Traditional hay meadows are cut once in the summer and then kept short by grazing until April. This is the process we are trying to replicate in our green spaces, so ideally some mowing is needed.
Keeping some areas longer and some shorter is a great way to keep your garden accessible while benefitting wildlife But really, how long you want to go is up to you!
Lawns left long between April or May until mid July followed by simply mowing regularly afterwards, will go straight back to that green carpet look for the rest of the year.
However, if you choose to leave your lawn long right the way through the summer until September, it might start to affect the look. Leaving your lawn long for longer can create some tussocky grass as well as thatch (dead grass/plant material), though this can be raked away partially.
If want to find out if you’re lucky enough to have any late blooming wildflowers in your lawn, but you don’t want to affect the look long term, you could try alternating. One year you could cut in mid-July then the next you could leave your lawn until September.
While No Mow May has clear benefits for wildlife, we understand it can raise some concerns for people too. We don’t want to shy away from the questions or worries you might have—so below, we’ve addressed some of the most common ones.
No Mow May is good for wild plants but what about other wildlife? Longer grass can make the perfect hiding place for hedgehogs and bugs to take shelter. And we know that this causes concerns about the risks that animals could face when it comes time to mow.
Our advice is to work gradually parallel to shelter (such as borders and hedges), which the wildlife can move towards. So you are moving closer to the shelter one mower’s width at a time.
Work from paths and high footfall areas towards the boundaries to allow disturbed wildlife to move towards cover gradually. Never mow from the outside inwards. Making a first pass with a high blade setting on your mower will help to flush wildlife before making a lower -repass for a neater finish.
And before you mow, wildlife will thrive from the benefits of your mini meadows such as all of the nectar, pollen, shelter and structure wildflowers provides!
Grass pollen can definitely be a cause of hay fever but longer grass in May is unlikely to be a big driver of high pollen counts in your area.
We know how hard hay fever can be – and all allergies must be taken very seriously. We would not advocate any garden maintenance regime that negatively impacts on residents’ health.
The occurrence of ticks in gardens is increasing, so you should wear long trousers and examine yourself carefully for ticks whenever you’ve been in long grass or other long vegetation.
Ticks are very small insects that spread a serious bacterial infection called Lyme disease. The ticks live on mammals such as hedgehogs, badgers and foxes and then drop off into long grass and vegetation, where we can pick them up and become infected. If you are bitten by a tick look out for flu-like symptoms such as feeling hot and shivery, headaches, aching muscles or feeling sick, and a circular red rash around the tick bite.
In areas where ticks are prevalent, consider maintaining a shorter grass lawn mown once every four weeks. For more information see www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease and www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk
They might not be as colourful, but they're every bit as important and add movement and texture to our landscape. From sweet scents to clever survival strategies, our native grasses are full of surprises.
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