The presenter of the hit BBC series Gardeners' World has ditched his environmentally friendly wildflower meadow in favour of a well-manicured lawn.
Monty Don has long supported rewilding efforts but has made a dramatic about-face and now ignores the popular “no mowing in May” campaign, encouraging gardeners instead to let their grass grow freely until the end of summer.
He appealed to homeowners who love gardening not to forget the benefits of a well-kept garden.
As reported by The Times, Dong maintains that gardening is about “getting the space right” and that overgrown grass makes a garden look cluttered.
Monty Don has long supported rewilding efforts, but in a dramatic about-face, he has ignored the now-popular “No Mowing in May” campaign and instead encouraged gardeners to let their grasses grow freely until the end of summer. He implored garden-loving homeowners not to forget the benefits of a well-manicured garden. As quoted by The Times, Don argues that gardening is about “getting the space right.” Overgrown grass, he claims, makes a garden look untidy (stock image)
In an article for the BBC's Gardeners' World Magazine, he wrote: “This spring and summer I've created a tightly mowed, uniformly green lawn, which is a bit surprising as I've long been an advocate of replacing lawns with long grass, ideally filled with native flowers.”
He then cites his own lawn at Longmeadow, Herefordshire, as an example of why he supports well-maintained lawns.
“This simple green lawn gives us some breathing space between the two gardens and also provides a play area for our grandchildren, where they can bounce around on their bikes and kick and hit a ball without damaging the garden,” Don said.
He says gardeners should encourage long grass, but also says the whole garden needs to “work together.”
He added that freshly cut grass can be part of a “complex balance.”
