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It would be nice if people realized that they can have a low-maintenance, inexpensive, and insect-friendly garden full of pretty wild flowers, by planting a per

It would be nice if people realized that they can have a low-maintenance, inexpensive, and insect-friendly garden full of pretty wild flowers, by planting a perennial meadow. This needs to be cut once a year. In the UK, you can buy perennial meadow seed mixes from https://www.scotiaseeds.co.uk https://www.scotiaseeds.co.uk , https://wildseed.co.uk https://wildseed.co.uk , https://www.wildflower.co.uk https://www.wildflower.co.uk, and several other companies. Elsewhere, there should be equivalents.

stinos 4y ago
by planting a perennial meadow While this works, an alternative if you have a lawn already is to just stop cutting it every x weeks but mow once or twice a year. Mow paths where needed. More often than not there are already seeds/plants in the soil which just never got the chance to grow. And if not, depending on where you live, fauna and wind will transport seeds to your garden. The end result (mind you, takes years) will usually be similar: of the seed mixes bought, a bunch won't grow, others might but won't thrive. Whereas starting from 'scratch' this also happens. And what's left are those which happen to thrive best on the local soil type and circumstances, which usually is what works best for the local ecosystem.
- nightski 4y ago
  Yes that will bring back the insects, in droves. It's a nightmare and you won't enjoy being in your yard at all.
- Amezarak 4y ago
  If I didn’t cut my yard for a year I wouldn’t need a mower, I’d need a large brush-clearing tractor. It’s already almost impossible to cut with a mower after four to five weeks.
addingadimensio 4y ago
I just love picking ticks off my children
- stinos 4y ago
  I can stroll through acres of local meadows and not find any ticks. Once I dare come close to bushes or go off tracks in the woods though, it's a disaster. I.e. I don't know why, but in any case the 'grass is riddled with ticks' seems highly location-dependent.
- __alexs 4y ago
  Unless you have wild mammals visiting your garden regularly it's quite unlikely there will be a single tick in it.
- ericd 4y ago
  Critter fences are cheap and effective at preventing this without requiring you to create a sterile landscape or monoculture.
  - addingadimensio 4y ago
    Mice are the primary carriers of Lyme disease

stinos 4y ago

by planting a perennial meadow While this works, an alternative if you have a lawn already is to just stop cutting it every x weeks but mow once or twice a year. Mow paths where needed. More often than not there are already seeds/plants in the soil which just never got the chance to grow. And if not, depending on where you live, fauna and wind will transport seeds to your garden. The end result (mind you, takes years) will usually be similar: of the seed mixes bought, a bunch won't grow, others might but won't thrive. Whereas starting from 'scratch' this also happens. And what's left are those which happen to thrive best on the local soil type and circumstances, which usually is what works best for the local ecosystem.

nightski 4y ago
Yes that will bring back the insects, in droves. It's a nightmare and you won't enjoy being in your yard at all.
Amezarak 4y ago
If I didn’t cut my yard for a year I wouldn’t need a mower, I’d need a large brush-clearing tractor. It’s already almost impossible to cut with a mower after four to five weeks.

addingadimensio 4y ago

I just love picking ticks off my children

stinos 4y ago
I can stroll through acres of local meadows and not find any ticks. Once I dare come close to bushes or go off tracks in the woods though, it's a disaster. I.e. I don't know why, but in any case the 'grass is riddled with ticks' seems highly location-dependent.
__alexs 4y ago
Unless you have wild mammals visiting your garden regularly it's quite unlikely there will be a single tick in it.
ericd 4y ago
Critter fences are cheap and effective at preventing this without requiring you to create a sterile landscape or monoculture.
- addingadimensio 4y ago
  Mice are the primary carriers of Lyme disease