It’s the beginning of July and the growing season is in full swing, the ground watered by copious amounts of rain in June and now some summer heat to make the garden grow. We are a nation of gardeners and there is much pride taken in a carpet-like green lawn, striped and without a hint of weed or moss to be seen. However, leave some of your grass to grow over the season and you will be rewarded with an influx of wildlfowers and wildlife. I have given over about 40% of our lawn to be ‘wild’ – and it now has 7ft high thistles, ox-eye daisies, knapweed, common vetch, wild carrot, teasles and flowering grasses to name a few - and masses of insects.
Wild weeds aside – leaving areas of your lawn to grow long is so beneficial to wildlife – our areas of long grass are humming with bees, butterflies and ladybirds and this is turn is food for birds, bats and amphibians. If you mow a neat path through the grass the crisp green edges of the cut lawn make the rough grass areas look like you have planted them with the great skill of mother nature – it saves you time and fuel with less mowing – which gives you more time to kick back with a glass of something cold and enjoy just being outside. Once you let go of some of the control we wield over the garden it breathes a sigh of relief and relaxes which in turn allows you to relax too.
Talking of nice cold drinks, it’s a perfect time to put the fast growing mint to use and make some cocktails. Use fresh mint to make a delicious Mojito – a heady mix of rum, Lime juice, sugar, soda water, mint and a heap of ice! And for a delicious after dinner hot drink – simply dunk some fresh mint in a mug of boiling water for your own homemade mint tea.