I am so glad you described the principle of 'mowing' as a way to keep us towing the line. The landed gentry of old employed poor people on terrible wages to maintain their lawns, while keeping the impoverished on their best behaviour if theyvwant to keep their jobs. And later on - the lesser classes are encouraged, even bullied, into mowing their lawns. Essentially, at least one member of your household spends around a few hours per week, every week, even twice a week, all summer long - walking back and forth in zombie fashion, not thinking, not doing, just 'behaving,' and often breathing in foul, brain-damaging fumes. I look upon 'mowing' as a conventional form of 'social control' enforced on the masses. Time we fought back, stood side by side with Nature, dumped convention and the mower forever, and made our gardens into strongholds for wildlife. The rate we're going, our gardens will be all many forms of wildlife have left. We've all seen the latest news about climate change. It has, without any doubt, stepped up more than a degree in intensity. We're no longer seeing just one climate driven crisis at a time. Every single day, we're now seeing 'hundreds, even thousands' of examples of climate driven crises all around the world, dozens of them serious enough to reach national and world news attention. Ordinary people of conventional mindsets will just go about their lives as usual, worrying about nothing and no one except themselves, able to turn off all thoughts of climate change as easily as they turn off the tv set. And they will continue to consume at the same old toxifying rate - until governments realise they have to step in at long, long last. So it takes us to always be an inspiration to others if we can. If you can suggest to the inscrutably houseproud to add just one wild flower such as the beautiful blue Scabious or the Cowslip or Lungwort to their border, it's the start of a breakthrough into that convention mind.

You wanted input? I live in Sweden, we moved to our own property 4 years ago with a garden that can be described as big, certainly compared to most suburban gardens in Europe. I am an avid gardener and had a blank canvas with only a big lawn, 3 apple trees and hedges all around to create my dream garden. I started digging, planting and all related stuff in August. Come next spring and most of my precious plants had become slug food. Instead of grabbing poison, I did the opposite and started focusing on creating a working ecosystem. I dug a big natural pond, made a small meadow, several borders with a nice quantity of native plants. Low and behold, slug damage slowly started to diminish and instead I see hedgehogs, hares, foxes, badgers, European polecats, woodpeckers and even deer all use the pond to drink in early morning. It has costed a lot of effort and countless manhours, but totally worth it!

I do not even own a mower. I am considered a weird anti-social person in my neighbourhood, because I do not have a lawn and I do not make a horrific noise with a mower every saturday. Everybody around points fingers at me calling my garden slug-hatchery. I am so happy somebody actually does speak up for wildlife and natural habitat. Thank you .

Dont let a few occassional moaners impact your mood. You are doing amazing for wildlife!

I used to have 2 lawns. Many years ago I dug them up entirely and replaced them with perennials & shrubs….and more recently, with a pond that I made using your tips! I’ve got pond snails, caddis fly larvae, newts, damsel flies, occasional frog…we have tawny owls, heron (we’re near a river) and even sparrow hawks and I’ve pipistrelle bats in my loft! My home is like a David Attenborough documentary. I love it so much!! My house and garden is built on a sloping embankment, supported structurally by a large stone retaining wall. Where the embankment meets the driveway, it’s ornamentally edged with some dry stone wall I did with my grandad years ago. The embankment is grass. I used to mow it and have it flawless. I stopped mowing it completely and now never touch it at all. It’s been feral for about 15 years maybe. There’s 4 conifers planted on it, under each one birds foot trefoil has spontaneously popped up along with forget me nots and a bit of clover. I never planted any of these. Also, in the last year, 2 massive burrow entrances have just appeared. The openings are quite wide, maybe half a foot across. I keep going out at night trying to catch whatever it is living in there, without success. I am close to woodland and there are badgers and foxes and rabbits. I’d love to see what’s living there!! Anyway, I’ll cut the waffle! My point is, there was really no reason to ever mow this grass, it was purely cosmetic, and I think it actually blends in with the surrounding wood and farmland much better now that I’ve just left it long and wild! It’s constantly frequented by pheasants and all the butterflies that like grassy areas! 👍🏻

For those that also follow Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't, your criticism of the "lawn mindset" is quite diplomatic. Keep spreading the word brother.

For anyone new to this: when I moved into my house with a medium sized garden the lawn was tidy(ish) and all we ever got were chafers. The last few years I've been progressively increasing the amount of lawn I leave to the point that I just mow paths through it now, and the amount of life in it has gone through the roof. So many bees, butterflies, damselflies, ladybirds and other beetles, lots of birds and even hedgehogs and bats. I added a pond last year and was over the moon to find a smooth newt in it this spring! It is by far the best thing I ever did and there's always something fun to look at out there now! 😁

Hey Joel! Great to finally understand why people love their manicured lawns! Personally I much prefer seeing the wild flowers and long grass and all the creatures it attracts. Can't wait for the garden tour, I will enjoy that! Great video, if you can't persuade people to stop mowing then I don't know who can! Enjoy the bank hol, hope you get to enjoy it with your family. Best wishes.

Thanks again, Joel. I’m going to attempt to pressure our local Council, here in Finland to change some of our mowing practices. Obviously many people are concerned about ticks in longer grass, but if we closely mowed a 2-3m strip alongside paths it might allay many fears (even though mowing doesn’t totally eradicate the risk). All the same, I agree, a “mowsaic” approach is ideal, and beautiful.

One of my favorite things is hearing an orchestra of crickets & katydids outside my window in the summer. Best lullaby one could ask for.

I have a sign in my little garden, my weeds are my wild flowers🎉🌾🌿🍀🌻🌱🪻

Love the no mow may and or summer vlogs Joel keep em coming until the sterile stripey lawn gang get it😂😂

hi :) 29:30 We have a neighbor who own a piece of lawn (~1000m²) with some fruit trees next to our land, he has only a barn with tool storage on it near the road. When we bought our house in 2020, the first year he was mowing and mowing, to keep his lawn very short (1-2cm). Then I guess he decides he could mow less as his terrain would always looks more "clean" than ours. They have understood I think that my land is not abandonned and that's not lazyness that drives me, they sould have seen me mowing path or scything this or that... anyway I don't care what they think of me, what matters is that now they also let their lawn grow more and some flowers can thrive.

You have answered the one question I really wanted to know, I can leave a space and not mow at all which is great news! thankyou 😊

A few weeks ago I got to watch a pair of goldfinches eating Dandelion seeds and we've had a few visits from what I think is a Chiffchaff, so definitely worth leaving the grass to grow. I like how there's always more to do to attract more nature. This year we've added some more planters to the patio and tomorrow I'm going to start work on digging over a section of lawn to make a new bed.

I did it! I finally had the talk this morning with my hubs about not mowing our lawn this summer. I’ve been gearing up for it since I saw an earlier video of yours this spring, corresponding with his riding mower breaking and he hasn’t been able to mow our lawn yet (so many dandelions this year! 🎉🌼). I watched this video last night, took screen shots of some of the beautiful gardens with mowed edges to show him, and then sat him down in our outside chairs to discuss “my vision” of our lawn going forward and explain the concept of a NoMowSummer. I was a bit worried-he’s owned this house for over 20 years and babied his bluegrass lawn, even though he’s allergic to bluegrass. I married him 5 years ago and moved in-slowly been weaning him off using Round Up, letting clover creep in in places, letting parts of the backyard go wild. This morning’s talk went better than expected-I think he’s resigned at this point. I did point out he knew I’m a “tree-hugger” when he married me. 😂. So we’re officially going to be doing a #NoMowSummer this year. I’m so excited! Thank you so much for helping me learn more about creating wild spaces. All your hard work is truly making a difference. 🌿🌻🐞🌼🌸🐛🕷️🦋🐝

Thank you, I have a wonderful meadow in my garden thanks to your videos and a wildlife pond.

I have a smallish garden that I’ve kept relatively wild. I’ve managed to turn some of the bushes into trees and I now have literally hundreds of birds, frogs, hedgehogs etc. I left our front garden to grow and I think I got what’s called speedwell? It looked beautiful but then as usual our neighbours complained I hadn’t cut my grass. So I had to mow it and now regret that decision. I love the wild look. None of my neighbours have any wildlife they have immaculately preened boring gardens.

Eye opening to know the origin of neat lawns and the huge money making business involved in cleaning up our lawns..I say..."NO MORE LAWNdering, go wild". Thanks Joel, you're a nature super hero. All the best from over here in Dublin.

Joel! Messaging you live, my very favourite butterfly has just flown past me in the garden - a Brimstone! 😃🤩😁🦋👍 I can't believe it, only ever seen one once before years ago! Just had to share it, I feel like yelling in excitement but that might give the neighbours a heart attack! 😃 THAT is the pure magic of a wildlife garden folks! You honestly will never regret the happiness it brings you.

Great video. I think it is great to simultaneously promote meadow areas and nectar lawns. I think nectar lawns have a greater chance to appealing more widely for the reasons you give and I think it is something that the garden sector can sell to people. Premium nectar rich lawn seed, premium nectar rich lawn turf and nectar lawn plug plants are all things that more commercial than plain grass only. I think having the expertise for how to manage a great nectar lawn will be something gardeners will widely take pride in. At work we have left most of the area uncut but have a nectar rich area by the office. It frustratingly kept getting cut until I discovered it was because the grass cutters thought the dock in it looked bad so I took out most of the dock and they now leave it. I love it and it brings me a lot of happiness through the summer. I find it so depressing when I see vast areas of green desert. I’m eager to hear what comes from your meeting with Plant Life.

15:40 "We can't do a lot about what goes on in the wider landscape................" I like this because I do get concerned about what is going on and this was telling people to worry about what is under our control which is correct and a nice thing to do.

Thanks Joel, knowing what to do (or not to do) in your wildlife space is important. Just because I can’t see much activity in the long grass I’ve left doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Yes, having dogs and children in the garden are factors, the challenge of making a small garden work in an area you can’t leave completely for nature, although fencing off an area was an obvious solution for me. I look forward to your garden tour video on Monday. Regards Keith

I wish your wids would be a lecture in school. thanks a lot

A more natural garden with a bit of whimsy has always been my style, whether small or large, pots or not! It has been my experience throughout the years to garden with nature wherever I am. Nothing else gives me such an earthly welcome ! Sometimes it takes time to catch up with our beautiful planet of plenty ! Thank you so very much for your videos.

My shiney new book has arrived 👍,it will be going to Barmouth🦈 with me on Saturday...with a 🥂on the decking weather permitting😎,one happy lady. Thankyou so much for signing it too ,I could tell you were (keg) left handed' like me ✍

I love wild flowers over a lawn any day I get lots of butterflies and bees and birds hi from ft Lauderdale FL.

Video on a Saturday! Great video

Keep going Joel I’m with you all the way I’m learning such a lot from you I’m still working on my wild life pond it seems determined to be a bog garden but I’m not giving up I’ve also stopped mowing my small patch of lawn. Everything I introduce has to be with wildlife in mind. I’m planting fruit trees and trees in general wherever I can. I don’t have the support of neighbours so your channel is important for me thank you.

Great video Joel. An area of long grass next to a lovely old hedge should be made compulsory for anyone who has a garden IMHO. 🦗🦋

I use two small mortar tubs as "ponds". Packed with plants. Put down some bricks down the sides for frogs to climb in. Some ferns and plants for shelter. Two weeks ago I counted 10 frogs in one pond😂. Sunbathing during the day. And in the evening (and on wetter and colder days) they leave the pond to go on the hunt for insects I guess. A lot of water evaporates in the summer... so I fill it up with fresh rainwater.

From the US - thank you for fighting the good fight in terms of arguing for maintaining habitats for wildlife.

Hello! I began to change my views after Sepp Holzer, Akira Miyawaki, Mark Shepard, Ernst Götsch, Geoff Lawton, Andrew Millison. I took a lot of useful information from everyone. Now it has reached you, great! If earlier I was tormented by my conscience that I left cut trees and branches lying among the grass, now I am glad that they remained there, providing habitats for wildlife. I have a shallow pond and I often see birds there. Last year I created a larger pond and now frogs live in it. I have 10800 m2, but I only mow 6000-7000 m2 low. Now I’m going to reduce the mowing area and mow some much higher, leaving taller grass. In your videos, I first saw about creating a pond in such a way that after polyethylene you again lay geotextiles and lay not only stones on it, but also the soil and clay itself. This was a revelation for me. For my large pond, I made islands and foam boards and stuck willow branches through them. Over time, the willow will take root and clean the water.

Another great video Joel. You are inspiring many of us to change our way of gardening.

Best advice ever Joel thanks for sharing 🐸💚🐸

Another cracking video. I don't have a lawn but I have an area on my land that has naturally grassed over and I leave that to do its own thing. I have also left huge swathes of bramble and bracken. If there is a dandelion growing where myself or a client doesn't want it I just dig it up and put it somewhere I want it to be. I often come home from work with dandelions and ragwort!

Hi Joel, there is so much going on right now. The birds are also in and out of the tall grasses feeding their young. Agree every small space counts. Looking forward to tomorrow’s video too. 😊🌱

I wish I had more time! The bank holiday is gone... New soak away done and wheelbarrow carting soil and sand around the garden. Planted a small amount of Brooklime, Longus and flowering rush this week at least. You'll be happy to know we have decided to leave around an acre of grass we are leaving to meadow. We mowed a pathway through it to get to the other side of the garden but the rest will grow long and we'll cut it after summer finishes.

Seeing you're in Essex. How about a mention of all those concrete and bricked over front "gardens". Ilford to Hornchurch is appalling.

The banks banks of meadows I’ve left as is. On the east facing meadow, the south facing side of it was left and for the first time ever I’ve seen tawny mining bees . They were in their 100’s. So clearly taking on board, your methods are clearly working Joel. Thank you 😊👌👏

Hey Joel been in garden today, bank holiday Monday with the family and out of nowhere an orange tip passed through,i recently asked you if they are around in Lincolnshire and you was definitely right! 3 days ago I planted my garlic mustard plugs that I bought from your shop, can't wait now for them to grow bigger since seeing that orange tip

Hi Joel once again great info video can't believe it's four years you started the channel I advise people to check out some of the early one's & conversations you have had and two years you installed my pond plus native hedging. It's because of your channel I took stock of my garden & change my garden over to the existing wildlife around me keep them coming mate.

Loved this. Fantastic and wise words to put out there. It is absolutely the best way forward. It's such a wonderful thing to do. It looks amazing and brings in so much wonderful wildlife. It never fails to make you smile and warm your soul. Always something beautiful to look at. It feels so good to just wander around your garden and look at the life you are helping to sustain. I just love talking to the flowers and the insects, and watching the pollinators do their magical thing. Nature really does provide the very best medicine. It never fails to brighten a difficult day, or to make a good day so much better. I agree, it's time to move away from the conditioning of the past. I'm glad not to be part of the 'hoover your garden club' I hope your words plant seeds all over the world💚 Thank you for sharing and for continuing to speak up for our wildlife🌻

Excellent video. I've often notice how much more often bees and butterfly's go to the 'wild'' plants in the garden than the cultivated plants. I'll certainly be following this philosophy.👍👍

We have started forest gardening however I want that bike mower 😃😃

I do a hybrid approach, Have a mowed grass area and a wild area in a shady border, Find it works best like this!

Such great advice Joel. It will be great to see mosaics in lawns becoming the norm. It's definitely beginning to happen I'm seeing it more and more.

Congratulations for 70 thousand subscribers

I find one way to convince people who enjoy a more manicured garden, to leave a wildlife patch is to tell them how much it will reduce the need to buy pest control products. Or reduce time spent manually removing them. Get the predictors in your garden and they will eat the less desirable insects for you. Some people need to hear a personal benefit to enact change.

Great video Joel with an essential message. Undisturbed areas as a part of a #mowsaic of habitats are crucial in enabling wildlife to thrive. I thought of you earlier today whilst watching a beautiful Brimstone in the sunshine nectaring on Red Campion 👍😊

Hi Joel. I would actually love to book you to come and look at what I could do and ask questions. I have a small garden which has become a little neglected due to getting an allotment 3 years ago. I did email your company and a lady got back to me as I was asking about having you come do a pond on my allotment but I think a visit would be wiser first. I worked for Derbyshire Wildlife Trust for 18 years and so get your message. Thank you for all you do and hope to hear from 😊 Shoshanah

Thank you , right on all the way boss,

#mowsaic good idea Joel 👍

The design of your front landscape really accomplishes all one could wish for. An engaging, welcoming site for people and wildlife to enjoy, and learn from. Lovelier as time goes by Joel!

Thanks Joel I have learnt so much from watching your videos and reading your book. I spread the message too.my sister telling me today that they are allowing one area of their lawn to grow longer, and planting wild flowers. I have different areas of cut and longer areas in the front garden, as well as a wildflower area, and want to build a pond there too, so will be watching your videos for that. We have a small back garden, but am creating a wildlife patch there too,, my whole approach is how I can create habitats and spaces for wildlife, its not just about the pretty flowers anymore...

Great video

leaving grasses grow all year (what we do) always makes me question whether it’s preventing beneficial seeds from growing. We don’t see a lot of wild flowers maybe due the the sandy soil in our area. Would mowing once a year encourage more plant diversity?

Following you from Pennsylvania.... thank you for the inspiration. My organic veg garden is fast incorporating all wildlife friendly practices. Thank you!

💚💚💚💚 love your thoughts x

I love this idea, but is mowing in September difficult for most mowers? What would you advise?

I live in South Australia which has a Mediterranean climate. I am trying to make my garden wildlife friendly along with an unmowed area. But I have a question, what about introduced weeds. In many parts of southern Australia Oxalis pes-caprae or soursob is a very invasive weed. It was introduced into Adelaide botanic gardens from South Africa in the mid 1800s and became rampant and spread rapidly throughout the country. It’s very pretty but how do plants like that have a place in a no mow area. I’m really enjoying your channel. Thank you.

I so agree … my garden is beautiful and diverse

Leaving your lawn to grow is one thing. But I always struggle to cut it at the end of the season. I only have a lawnmower and an underpowered strimmer. How would you recommend cutting the resulting sward? Scythe? Renting a BCS mower?? Would love a video on this.

I have half of my quite large front garden as meadow with a pond, a veg area and one area of mown grass along with native hedging all around the garden. I also mow the main section the back garden twice a year, and leave 3 corners wild and all the edges wild, its really difficult to balance long grass and practicality in main areas of the garden.

History got us here! BUT the real argument now is not about the length of grass, it's about the space taken by concrete!

Mowsaic 🤟🏼❤️👍🏼🧠🔥!

Hi Joel Great video we spoke about two years ago about me making my front garden in to a meadow it is my third year and i can't wait to see what turns up. Keep doing the video they are great.

I wish I'd known about all this before we redid the lawn in the back. Of course, I'm sure my dad would not have been open to a mix of native grasses instead of Kentucky bluegrass.

I watched so many of your videos and still don't know how to manage my grass, ideally I would want to leave the edges uncut forever , but in the winter grass falling and rotting, and when spring comes, my lawn looks really bad . So I have to cut it , once or twice a year to avoid bare patches and rotting. When shall I do it ?(My lawnmower only goes 7cm high)

❤

Another great video Joel. What is your view on bindweed?

Doesn’t the long grass promote ticks ?

I thought Nomowmay was the new Chinese President Every fb site I see no Mow May I put a link to your video Keep up the excellent work !!!

Love your videos Joel😊we’re about to split the bottom half of our garden into 3 areas, one for shrubs and flowers, one for veg and one as a mini meadow and I wondered if you had a couple of recommendations for wild flowers that would be the most beneficial 🌼

Did it not used to be the case that certain housing areas required their tenants to maintain tidy gardens particularly the grass being kept neat and tidy. And yet with a little clever maintenance and management a front garden can be a haven for wildlife and still have kerb appeal!

Thanks Joel so much for the wonderful videos. There are many cool things I learned from this video about nature there. In HCMC we have only dry season and rain season 😅, not have 4 seasons like in UK. I'm really enjoyed watching your channel 😊 #nomowsummer 🐛🦋🐝🐞🪴🪻🌿🍀💚

Adding more plants to my pond and rushing to finish seeding! My yard is really starting to transform. We are also redoing our home-made stream in the backyard. We have a bit of a slope and seeded wildflowers, hopefully that will prevent runoff! Can wildflowers coexist with native grasses? Thanks for another video! Jimmy and Tony

😻

Fake plastic lawns for fake plastic people.

I have a lot of rushes growing in the grass, can you recommend a natural way of controlling them so I can do no mow summer or should the longer grass compete with them?

Hello, I just have a quick question. I have alot of moss(around 50%) and ground elder along my shady parts in my garden, what's the best way to remove it to start making a wildlife garden?

I agree almost! With one exception. When you have, like I do, an old meadow with endangered spieces like native orchids then invasive plants needs to be removed. I have navelwort as one of my enemies it grows in huge carpets and other plants don’t have a chance to survive! If I got dandelines in there I would remove them as they are a bit too invasiv too. If we let the invasiv spieces take over everywere then we would loose preciuos things, don’t you think??? But swiching grass for flowers that’s good that’s brilliant! 👌

I have lots of 'Docs' plants in my meadow. Is that a big problem?

Joel I'm fully on board with your messaging but I could grow a nature reserve from scratch waiting for you to get to the point in your videos. Other than that I love your content.

Does creeping buttercup have much use to wildlife as its taking over my garden. If I don't do any mowing my garden will revert to brambles and bindweed. I do allow wild areas in my garden. It's been like it for years and I was constantly asked if I wanted to sell part of the garden as I wasn't using it. I do struggle with creeping buttercup which seems to stop all other plants growing, including grass. I like to have some areas to grow roses , perennials but the buttercup creeps into the beds. I'm.sure the flowers are useful for some wildlife but it looks like it will take over the whole garden if left. Any ideas as to control it a bit.

How can I attract dragon flies to my wildlife pond?

Think we need to get the councils to stop mowing everything, they go on about being skint but they always got money to destroy the wildlife lol I ain't got any grass it's all flowers 🤪

It’s not true that we can’t make a difference to what farmers are doing with the land and the destruction that is happening to our wildlife. They grow what we consume. Every time we spend a pound we are voting for the future of wildlife. If we eat an organic whole food plant based diet, that will free up 70% of agricultural land for rewilding. It’s our responsibility, and that is the one biggest, most instant changes we can make. I know that this comment will ruffle some feathers, and if it does, please question why as a culture we are just as addicted to eating the flesh and secretions of animals as we are to lawns? The science is out there to back what I’m saying. Of all the mammals living on this planet, 36% are humans, 60% are domesticated animals, and 4% is wildlife. The unbalance is scary and not sustainable.

WARNING: a word of warning. Every year I have my grasses cut from September until November. Then except for the curved walk pathways, they are pretty much left alone all year unless they had popped up voluntarily in the edibles raised beds. Blue tits love to feed in the long grasses and robins prefer to hunt worms in short or moderate length grass. However, if you have bird feeders, you are asking for trouble. A combination of bird feeders and long grasses will attract rats into your garden to nest. Better to stick with just long grasses unless you love rats as ‘wildlife’ in your garden?

Love what you are doing and completely on board, with the message, but, cheesh! 25 minutes to get to the point! Far too many loops away before getting back to the topic.

We are such a tiny country, 70% for farmland shows how lost modern humans got along the way doesn't it?! Even if we were still 'jungle farmers' and 'nomadic pastoralists' the earth would be in a much better state than it is now. There's one thing planting a climbable tree next to a spiky one to get the fruit in time, and make it easier for the next generation, but wiping out acres of a multi-diverse ecology for a single strain DNA of wheat for example, seems like the most unintellectual thing a human being could ever have done...in my humble opinion!

"I don't care what my neighbours think!" Really?? I care about nature and my neighbours

I like a wild meadow in the right place but arent gardens supposed to be a place for the people who live in the house do stuff in and for kids to play. Cant really kick a football around in foot long grass can you? The government need to set more land aside for wild meadows.

I got 18 minutes in and gave up Joel. You're still talking about lawns

this felt like an extreme waste of time. No real info.

A disappointing video ! Surely there are additional ways to manage gardens (other than not mowing grass) that could have been covered?

Hi Joel, I have left a small patch of long grass (hardly any flowers in it 🫤) in a wild corner of my garden. What is the best time of year to cut it and how would you do it safely so as not to harm any possible wildlife? Thank you

Hi Joel I really enjoyed watching your video, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us. I did reply to your email re.Hop 🙏 I'm not sure if you have seen it. Keep up the great work .

I live close to a city and therefore no garden but small patch at the front and backyard where i have potted plants also in the back have done your whiskey barrel pond which i cannot stop looking at it is great. Do you have any other tips to attract wildlife for those of us without gardens.