Going Native: No Mow May & Leave the Leaves with Bram Gunther of Plan it Wild
Going Native is our gardening series highlighting the contribution of native plants to building resilient landscapes. MyRye.com will introduce you to native plant experts that will tell you ways to get started with a small garden patch, a complete property or just a few garden containers.
Today we speak with Bram Gunther, VP of science and development at Plan it Wild.
MyRye.com: What are “No Mow May” and “Leave the Leaves”? Are these important, why and do you have a particular version of each one that works for you?
Gunther: No Mow May is a campaign to get people’s attention away from the lawn and towards natural diversity. Plan it Wild has evolved this campaign to be about “no mow” in general, which is to say that all of us can give up the lawn so nature can return.
Leave the leaves is a catchy phrase, like No Mow May, but is based on science: the fallen leaves from plants create homes, especially during the winter, for vast numbers of small creatures as well as small mammals.
These fallen leaves also provide food for the animals that use these spaces to live and hibernate. Fallen leaves are also natural mulch, adding nutrients to the soil and regulating its temperature. We will mulch any fallen leaves to make the yard look neater, but otherwise our best practices are exactly as the phrase—we leave the leaves.
Also read: Going Native: Gardening with Plan it Wild’s David Baker and our Going Native series.
