We've Been Slow to Mow

Keeping a tidy, well-mown lawn might be a reason to get outside for some...but not for me. I get no special thrill from a lawn, which is, as a Master Gardener friend of mine says, a monoculture...and b-o-r-i-n-g.

One of the reasons I love this property so much is how little of the real estate is dedicated to lawns. Of course, the main reason for that is the number of towering trees around the house, making grass-growing an exercise in futility in the heavily-shaded areas. Ah, but in the Way Back, where the full-day sun would support more grass than the shade around the house, there is no lawn. None. Can I get a hallelujah? 

We do have to mow...on occasion. And by "we," of course I mean "Mr. T." The weeds and wildflowers that pass for grass in both the Orchard and the Berry Patch can get pretty tall and unkempt-looking if left to their own devices for too long. 

But in the Spring, I make a special request "to leave the daisies alone." We need to attract all the pollinators to the Way Back that we can, and the wild daisies are just the ticket. 

Additionally, we have several good randomly-placed patches of bird-planted milkweed (the host plant for Monarch Butterfly caterpillars) that need time to develop and flower. Monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweed, and their caterpillars only eat milkweed. Many folks cut milkweed down in their yards because it doesn’t smell very good, or they think it is a weed. But these same people don’t realize that monarch butterflies need the milkweed in order to survive, and the monarch butterfly population is dwindling. Plus, milkweed isn't an easy seed to germinate...or, to transplant once it has been seeded, usually by birds and usually in an inconvenient spot. Protecting it is almost a mission.

We are in the process of adding a small (64 sq. ft) Pollinators Garden in the Orchard, complete with a bird bath...the second one in the Way Back. We want to increase the habitat for bees, butterflies, moths, beetles (like that soldier beetle on the daisy above), hummingbirds, and other pollinators. There is a marvelous online resource at www.pollinators.org where you can enter your zip code, and then get a PDF guide and plant list for your area. We will have four fav perennials suggested for our zip (aster, coreopsis, phlox, and hollyhocks); annuals like zinnias, marigolds, and sunflowers; and room for a couple more buddleias...as soon as I root them from cuttings from the one in the back yard.

Why all this attention on pollinators, you ask? According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife publication Attracting Pollinators to Your Garden: 

• Pollinators are nearly as important as sunlight, soil and water to the reproductive success of over 75% of the world’s flowering plants.
  
• They are crucial to the production of most fruits, nuts, and berries on which people and wildlife depend.
  
• Over 150 food crops in the United States depend on pollinators, including blueberries, apples, oranges, squash, tomatoes and almonds.

We want to make a conscious effort to ensure our little spot on this Earth is a welcoming oasis to the critters and creatures that make our plants healthier and our lives richer.  We have reduced our use of pesticides to almost nil (remember...even organic pesticides kill bugs, both bad and beneficials), and when we do spray or dust, we try for early mornings...when pollinators are least active. We plant herbs and flowers to attract beneficials as well as repel pests. We allow our natives as well as our weeds to have some growing room.

We will all benefit if we continue to be slow to mow.