Give Dandelions a Chance: Public urged to rethink wildflowers, as Plantlife launches No Mow May

As Plantlife kicks off its annual No Mow May campaign, new survey data on Welsh attitudes towards garden plants reveals that many still regard wildflowers as weeds – overlooking their benefits for wildlife and biodiversity.

Dandelions remain the most unpopular garden flower, with nearly two-thirds of Welsh adults (63%) considering them weeds.

However, daisies and buttercups were thought of more fondly; with 78% recognising daisies and 73% buttercups as wildflowers, not weeds, and more than a third believe they can add to a garden’s charm—a promising sign of growing nature connection.

Nicola Hutchinson, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Conservation, Plantlife, said: “ It’s time to rethink wildflowers – they aren’t weeds, they are unsung heroes of the natural world . Key to garden ecosystems, wildflowers support pollinators, insects and even birds, playing an important role in the food chains for wildlife.

“With over 23 million gardens in the UK, using No Mow May as the starting point for relaxing mowing through the whole summer – can deliver big w ins for plants, pollinators, people and the planet.”

In bloom

Around a quarter of people in Wales mow their lawn every 2-3 weeks during May – the same time many flowers are starting to bloom. No Mow May, Plantlife’s nationwide campaign, urges people in cities, towns and the countryside to ditch the mow – starting in May and continuing into the summer – to support nature.

The campaign, now in its seventh year, shows how accommodating different aesthetic tastes by creating different zones – functional short turf, framed and flanked by meadow features like perennial herbaceous borders or flowering lawn – can provide a pollinator banquet through spring and summer and bring nature closer to home.

Sarah Shuttleworth, Specialist Botanical Advisor, Plantlife added: “ If you struggle dealing with long grass, even a reduction in mowing to once a month throughout the summer can boost lawn biodiversity . If you don’t have a garden, a yard or balcony can become a mini haven for plants and pollinators. Enjoying wilder patches – even
in just a section of your garden – can do wonders to support wildlife.”

Public spaces

The campaign also champions wildlife-friendly management of public spaces – grassland on road verges, in open spaces and parks – in ways that benefit biodiversity and the climate.

Mark Schofield, Road Verges and Green Spaces Advisor at Plantlife, said: “Changing the way we manage grassland creates space for nature, while still meeting community needs. It reimagines road verges as wildlife corridors, supporting biodiversity and helping to build climate resilience, while keeping roadsides safe.”

Plantlife is encouraging people to give power to the flowers this summer and see an array of plant species in their gardens, including yellow rattle, common birds’-foot trefoil, field forget-me-not, white clover, common mouse-ear, selfheal, cowslips, wild orchids, field scabious and knapweed. Lawns with the highest number of wildflowers are those which have patches of various grass lengths.

Celebrating longer grass will invite a whole world of wildlife into your garden:

• Burnet Moth cocoons form on the flowering stems of long grasses where the bright and colourful day flying moth emerges
• Nursery Web Spiders weave shimmering dew-filled webs in tall blades
• Grasshoppers, whose chorus defines the sound of British summer evenings, need a longer grass structure to call home.
• Waxcap fungi like the Blackening Waxcap AKA Witches’ Hat can flourish in unfertilised, mossy lawns.

Take part in No Mow May and join thousands of households letting nature take the lead. For tips, resources, and how to sign up, visit: www.plantlife.org.uk/nomowmay

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