This Father’s Day, why not relax and leave the lawnmower in the shed?

Do yourself and our wildlife a favour by reducing your grass-cutting

Reducing your grass-cutting doesn’t have to mean you’re letting your garden go ‘wild’. Instead, you might want to simply change from a weekly cut to every three, four or even six weeks. Right: An old name for clover is ‘bee’s bread’, it is so loved by bees. A clover lawn also has a short sward so it can still be used for football! Picture: Juanita Browne

Finally, the sun is shining. At long last, you get to sit outside on that expensive garden furniture you bought during lockdown, but rarely get to use in our Irish climate. You get everything ready, the cushions, the sunglasses, the bottle of sunscreen. You settle down with a favourite book and maybe even a glass of wine. You can hear birds singing and the bees buzzing. The quiet hum of nature makes you feel even more relaxed… and then it begins.

The silence is broken by a loud revving and engine splutter. A lawnmower engine roars into action in the garden next door. Soon, a strimmer cranks up down the road. A chainsaw joins the soundscape somewhere. The house-proud Dads are out while the sun shines. You try to wait it out, but it’s difficult to read, and you can no longer hear the birds singing. The spell is broken, you retreat back indoors and close the windows to muffle all the noise. Sadly, it’s the same story every weekend!