Let July’s Floral Fairfield be Blooming Good for Wildlife

Due to Coronavirus and that many household have not been able to prepare for Floral Fairfield there will be no judging of front gardens, tubs and baskets.

Instead, why not take up our Blooming Wildlife Challenge? 

Many residents took part in No Mow May, so why not take up our new challenge and give your grass a Mohican hair-cut (or should that be MOW-hican?) and see what wildflowers grow and wildlife it attracts, then take photos and send to admin@fvca.org.uk, so that we can share with the rest of our community.  

If you feel really wild, add a bug box and some other wildlife friendly features to your garden.

Here’s some mowing tips:

• Long-grass. Leave some areas of your lawn completely unmown to allow a wide diversity of short and tall plants – such as knapweed, scabious, Lady’s-bedstraw, wild carrot and orchids – to flower. These areas should be cut with a strimmer or scythe in late summer or early autumn (ideally August, September or early October) and the grass removed. Cut again with a lawn mower on its highest setting once or twice before February, again removing the cuttings, and then leave the grass to grow from March onwards.
• Short-grass. For other areas of lawn, and for paths in and around the long-grass, cut to a height of 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) once a month to allow small plants like white clover, daisies and selfheal to flower. You’ll cut off some flowers when you do mow, but they’ll come back quickly. You can even rotate cut areas around your lawn so you always have some in flower.

The proportion of long and short grass doesn’t really matter – it’s up to you and what works best into your garden. What’s important is to have two different heights of grass, as this creates very different flower-rich habitats that will be used by a whole range of wildlife – it’s particularly beneficial for insects and also provides both cover and open spaces for birds and small mammals.