With lawnmower-free May in full swing, it’s only natural to reflect on the reasons and motivations behind delaying the first lawn mowing. One of the main reasons? Flowers!
Flowers for Pollinators
The first flowers to appear in spring are essential for pollinating insects. In response to the early-season shortage of pollen, several initiatives have emerged to encourage the presence of spring blooms in our lawns. As soon as the warm weather returns, pollinators set off in search of food—pollen and nectar. But in urban areas, where natural habitats have been lost and surfaces are increasingly paved over, these flowers are becoming scarce.
Dandelions are among the most valuable flowers for pollinators, so it makes sense to encourage their blooms. To do that, delaying lawn mowing is key. But dandelions aren’t the only flowers that can support pollinators and beautify your lawn. In this new approach to diversified lawns, many charming blooms can be added!
Of Course, Bulbs!
Planting small spring-flowering bulbs in lawns has been widely praised. These are planted in the fall and offer a magnificent display as soon as the snow melts. Crocuses (Crocus spp.) are particularly interesting, but so are grape hyacinths (Muscari spp.) and chionodoxas (Chionodoxa spp.). As for squills (Scilla sibirica), I recommend them for confined spaces or lawns in urban areas. They have the ability to reseed easily and eventually, squills form magnificent blue carpets in spring. Unfortunately, squills are also capable of creating the same effect in a forest. We must therefore keep them away from natural environments.
My Favorites: Violets!
This is where the fun begins! The lawn can accommodate many small flowering plants, and my favorites for spring are violets. Several species easily find a home in lawns, including the wooly blue violet (Viola sororia) and the marsh blue violet (V. cucullata). Both species are native to Canada. Most often mauve in color, there are also white-flowered varieties. In some situations, you can end up with a full palette of shades of more or less dark mauve, in a single front yard. It’s a magnificent sight!
Sometimes, small ornamental pansies, including the clown face, like Viola cornuta and the Johnny-jump-up violet (V. tricolor) also manage to self-sow freely in the lawn. More rarely, the large garden pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) also manage to establish themselves through the blades of grass.
Finally, there is nothing to stop you from planting perennial violet cultivars, such as ‘Etain’, directly in the lawn.
Other Flowery Options
Quite unlikely in Quebec thirty years ago, the famous English daisies (Bellis perennis) are increasingly successful in surviving the winter. For those who have seen them flourish in European lawns, it’s a real delight. Moreover, there is even a company that offers a flowered lawn, filled with these beautiful daisies! This small plant, no more than 15 cm (6 inches) in height, produces flowers that resemble those of small daisies of all colors!
Another great option for sunny lawns is thyme (Thymus spp.). Several species of hardy thyme thrive in lawns. And what a scent when you mow the lawn! And as a bonus, in early summer you can enjoy a beautiful carpet of mauve or pink flowers!
Depending on your perspective, some consider them weeds, but in a natural and environmentally friendly approach, they are precious flowers that are very useful for our pollinators. And what’s more, they add beautiful colors to a carpet where green dominates.
I love the wild flowers of spring, the blue & white forget-me-nots are a beautiful carpet ! And the wild strawberries are next ! These are some of the few that thrive under the eastern white pines so I really hope they are not considered invasive !
I have violets everywhere in my “grassy” areas–I have NEVER seen a bee or any other flying critter ever on the blooms….ever
Started planting crocus bulbs in my front lawn sbout 20 ears ago and now individual bulbs have multiplied into clusters of bulbs with each producing about 8-10 flowers. They come up and flower just as the snow is lesving in April and so we have the earliest flowers on the street and many people going by seem to love to see them.
Russ in Montreal.