No More Less Mow May
Less Mow Summer is the city's new initiative to promote pollinator-friendly lawns
While this late-February warm-up is likely only “Fool’s Spring” and nobody dare pack up their winter boots just yet, now is a great time to start planning your spring lawn and gardening projects.
On February 10 the Roseville City Council unanimously approved a resolution to revoke a 2023 resolution in support of Less Mow May, in an effort to focus on year-round pollinator friendly practices instead. The initiative has gone from No Mow May to Less Mow May, but now the city is moving forward to Less Mow Summer.
“We felt Less Mow May was an opportunity to get people involved in sustainability efforts from their yards without undertaking a more significant landscaping project, but while well-intentioned, the original program wasn’t the most effective way to support pollinators,” Noelle Bakken, Roseville’s sustainability specialist, said. “This re-framing will create additional opportunities to connect with residents throughout the year on how they can make their yard a haven for pollinators!”
Unlike No Mow May and Less Mow May, there will be no suspension of enforcement of Roseville’s lawn ordinances. This means turf grasses, weeds, and vegetative growth in lawns will still need to be less than eight inches high.
“Most of the beneficial, blooming species that we are seeing in grass like the clovers, the dandelions . . . don’t really grow beyond 2-3 or 4 inches, which are well within our existing turf ordinances,” Bakken said to the city council on Feb. 10.
Lawns without any blooming plants don’t provide pollinator resources anyway, so letting the grass grow long doesn’t help pollinators
According to Bakken’s Feb. 10 presentation to city council, after launching No Mow May in 2022 the city inspector received feedback from residents expressing confusion about whether or not they were allowed to mow their lawns in May. There were also over 20 properties that the city had to bring back into code compliance in June of 2022.
The city transitioned to Less Mow May for 2023-2024 and rolled out branding and outreach materials, including handouts, lawn signs, and a web page. The city inspectors received fewer complaints and there was less enforcement needed for noncompliant properties in June, according to Bakken’s presentation.
Now, new research has come to light showing that reducing or eliminating mowing in May in Minnesota is actually not that beneficial to pollinators. May is usually very rainy followed by drier summer months, during which grass does not benefit from aggressive mowing. Additionally, pollinators need habitat and forage throughout the year, not just in May.
Bakken recommended that the city align more with the University of Minnesota’s strategy, Slow Mow Summer.
“It’s a growing understanding of how best to respond to this situation. [U of M] Bee Lab a few years ago was advocating for No Mow May too and now they have shifted their messaging,” Bakken said to the council.
This strategy allows more opportunities to advocate for year-round pollinator friendly practices, such as leaving more leaves on the lawn in the fall for pollinators to hibernate in over winter, adding more native plants to the yard including flowering trees and shrubs, and replacing turf with flowering plants, bee lawns, and lower-maintenance fine fescues which capture more stormwater than bluegrass.
“You don’t necessarily need to mow the same day every week,” Bakken said at the meeting.
According to the city’s pollinator-friendly yard guidance, it’s better to mow based on lawn height, using the highest mower settings, leaving mulch clippings for natural fertilizer, and mow in the evenings when it’s cooler. Choosing an electric lawn mower is strongly recommended over gas-powered mowers to reduce carbon emissions. Avoiding pesticides and herbicides is also important for protecting pollinators.
During the meeting, councilmember Julie Strahan asked if water recommendations or restrictions might be part of the initiative. There are currently no watering restrictions in Roseville, but Bakken said that encouraging people to think about their water usage and reducing the amount of lawn watering is a good idea.
“Grass doesn’t always need water just because it’s hot out. Step on the lawn, and if the grass springs back, it doesn’t need water,” according to the city’s water conservation tips online.
The below image is the Less Mow May yard sign, but with “May” covered up with the word “Summer” written on a graphic made to look like duct tape. It was meant to be a joke for the presentation, Bakken said, but the city council liked the idea as a way to re-use existing lawn signs instead of printing all new. So now the city is making stickers for residents to add to the signs they already have, which will be available in April. There are also extra signs available at City Hall that residents can pick up in the spring if they want to put one in their yard this year for the first time. If you want one, reach out to Noelle Bakken at noelle.bakken@cityofroseville.com.
Why do pollinator-friendly lawns matter?
“Pollinators are a critical part of both our local and global ecosystems. They play a crucial role in the food system—as much as one in three bites of the food we eat depends on pollinators to reproduce and grow,” Bakken told the Roseville Reader.
Many people think of honeybees when they think of pollinators, but honeybees are actually not native to North America. They originated in Europe. There are over 500 species of bees native to Minnesota, including the endangered rusty patched bumble bee. Other types of animals and insects such as butterflies, moths, birds, bats, and other insects are also critical for pollination, Bakken explained.
“Insects that aid in pollination are also food sources for native bird and other animal species, and due to habitat loss to agriculture and development (particularly in areas that were formerly grassland/prairie), there has been a steep decline in both insects and the animals who rely on them for food,” Bakken said.
Flowering plants that grew on the prairie can also grow in lawns and gardens, are more resilient to drought, and help filter out toxins in our water systems, Bakken explained.
“The coneflower is a great example of a plant that gives throughout the season too—they attract many different pollinators throughout the growing season, and once they’ve bloomed and gone to seed, you’ll notice goldfinches perching on them to eat the seeds in fall and winter. The leftover stalks from native plants can also create overwintering habitat for cavity-nesting bees,” Bakken said.
How to cultivate a pollinator-friendly lawn
Native and pollinator-friendly plants can easily be added into existing flower beds and patches of grass can be converted into more natural havens for pollinators. Learn how to plan a “bee lawn,” and how to choose plants for your gardens on the city’s Pollinator-Friendly Yard Care landing page. The page also includes links to grant programs offered by watershed districts and the Lawns to Legumes program. Bakken also encourages people to read this document which provides guidance on how to add naturalized landscaping into your property while still being in compliance with city codes.
To get some in-person garden planning and seed starting advice, check out the upcoming suburban gardening presentation with Brad Tabke from Minnesota Gardening, hosted by Makwa Coffee. This event is happening on Tuesday, March 4 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Learn more at the event page on Facebook.
If you want to add more trees to your yard, Parks and Recreation has partnered with Tree Trust to offer trees at an affordable price. This year the tree sale opens on March 7.
The massive Friends School Plant Sale at the State Fair Grandstand during Mother’s Day Weekend is also a great opportunity to buy native and pollinator-friendly plants.
Another easy—and free—way to add new pollinator-friendly plants into your yard is to exchange plants with your neighbors. Just be sure to watch out for invasive jumping worms. Learn more about this destructive worm from the University of Minnesota. Once the ground thaws, early spring is a great time for splitting and replanting established perennials.
Editorial Note: This article was updated at 2:10pm on Feb. 26 to add information about jumping worms.
Yay! Love the support for pollinators!
As a native plant gardener, I'm glad to see the city changing course. Wild Ones is also a great resource for homeowners and others wanting to add pollinator-friendly spaces. Our local chapter, Big River Big Woods, meets monthly at Autumn Grove Park. Also, please be careful when sharing plants to avoid the spread of invasive jumping worms. The U of M Extension has helpful info on their website (not sure if links are allowed in these comments.)