Sustainable Living with Transition Town Wellington

Is it time to have a re-think about our lawns? The RSPB, Plantlife and many other organisations think it is. By mowing our lawns less, and letting at least parts of them grow long, we not only save ourselves time but it helps to feed birds and precious invertebrates we rely on to pollinate flowers and crops.

Leaving even just a patch of grass un-mown can be a beautiful thing. Wildlife trusts say that meadows support eight times more wildlife than short-mown grass, and many of us love a meadow with lush greenery and colourful wildflowers, but we don’t think of creating a smaller version ourselves.

Watching birds dart through the long grass, catching insects and seeing wild flowers appear as though by magic is quite wonderful. Maybe we should ask ourselves where our obsession for a short, neat green lawn came from, and whether it’s time for a cultural shift in perception about what makes a truly beautiful garden.

In the 1950s, the herbicide companies launched huge campaigns to make us believe dandelions were the enemy. It’s likely that much of the desire for the neat and tidy bowling green patch has been built from images promoted in magazines and on television.

The desire to keep up with the neighbours, of not wanting to be seen as less than perfect, has made this roll on through the decades, until many acres of lawns are just ecological deserts. But now the fashion is beginning to change.

More people would like to protect the environment and want to be seen to be doing so. So how about we ditch those weed killers? Give our lawns and ourselves a rest from the mower. A small sign saying that ‘this is for wildlife’ could encourage others to do the same, because what is more important than protecting nature where we can?

SUE RICKARD