Northumberland Wildlife Trust and RHS call on gardeners to bring their lawns to life

The charities have launched a ‘bring your lawn to life’ initiative and are encouraging gardeners to experiment with a new look lawn for the benefit of wildlife and the wider environment.

They are inviting people to raise the blade on their mower and cut their grass less regularly, embrace daisies, dandelions, clovers and other naturally flowering plants, and even grow container lawns if space is at a premium.

Lawns left to grow long are shown to help mitigate flooding by better soaking up rainwater, counter the heat island effect in urban areas through their cooling properties, and capture pollutants.

They are also better at resisting browning during dry spells than short grass owing to their longer roots. This means that their benefits continue into the height of summer, and provide all-important habitat for a whole host of insects including ants, bees and butterflies.

Duncan Hutt of Northumberland Wildlife Trust said: “Everyone can enjoy the beauty of longer lawns. Gardeners have spent too long battling against nature to maintain lifeless green carpets of closely cropped grass, so it’s time to take a step back and help nature and climate by letting lawns live wilder and grow longer.”

Helen Bostock, senior wildlife specialist at the RHS, added: “Lawns, while central to many garden designs, are often overlooked as important ecosystems in favour of the plants in beds that border them. But they’re home to a huge amount of wildlife and help mitigate the impact of climate change.”

More details are on the Wild About Gardens website wildaboutgardens.org.uk