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Many people prefer a more relaxed approach to their lawns, allowing wildflowers to flourish among the grass. If that’s the case, you can take a break from mowing from early spring onwards and enjoy the wildflowers that appear and the pollinating insects and other biodiversity

The variety of living organisms (plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms) in a particular environment. Boosting the biodiversity of your garden has many benefits, including supporting wildlife, improving soil health and reducing the likelihood of pest and disease problems. they attract. Spring is also a good time to create a new wildflower

A term generally applied to non-woody, flowering plants that are natural to a particular area and grow there without human assistance. More accurately, British wildflowers normally applies to UK natives including plants introduced into the wild before 1500. meadow or boost the diversity of your existing lawn.

Trimmed lawns are a traditional favourite – ideal for setting off colourful borders, great for kids to play on and for relaxing outdoors over the summer. To keep this type of lawn looking its best takes time and effort, especially through spring and summer, and the mowing and fertilising have an environmental cost. Even regularly mown lawns offer a habitat for many invertebrates and valuable soil life, and opportunities for birds to feed.

Once the weather warms up in spring and grass starts back into growth, it’s a good time to give your lawn some extra care and attention.

Regular maintenance is the best way to keep a traditional lawn looking neat and healthy, and avoid the need for larger-scale renovation later – and below are a few simple tasks you can carry out through the first half of the year.

Also see our monthly lawn advice for March , April and May .

Mow your lawn…

Once your grass starts to grow in spring, you can begin regular mowing – this helps to keep the lawn growing strongly and deters weed growth.

For advice on the different cutting heights and mowing frequencies for spring and summer, see our lawn mowing guide .

…or let wildflowers flourish

If you’d prefer to mow less and allow more wild plants to flourish in your lawn, then No Mow May is a great way to start. As the name suggests, you simply stop mowing in early May, ideally until at least August, which allows the wild plants already in your lawn to grow up and flower, providing pollen, nectar and shelter for insects and other wildlife. You can leave your whole lawn uncut or just a section. It’s an easy way to use your existing garden to provide even more wildlife benefits.

You can either re-start mowing in June or leave the grass uncut until August to encourage a greater diversity of plants. See our guide to starting a wildflower meadow , which includes advice on converting your lawn.

If you already have a wildflower

A term generally applied to non-woody, flowering plants that are natural to a particular area and grow there without human assistance. More accurately, British wildflowers normally applies to UK natives including plants introduced into the wild before 1500. meadow, follow our tips on how to look after it and when to cut it.

Also see our wildlife gardening section for more biodiversity

The variety of living organisms (plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms) in a particular environment. Boosting the biodiversity of your garden has many benefits, including supporting wildlife, improving soil health and reducing the likelihood of pest and disease problems. tips, and find out more about from the campaign organiser, wildflower charity Plantlife.

Give your lawn the edge

Spring is the ideal time to use a half-moon edging iron or flat-bladed spade to cut a 8cm (3in) ‘gutter’ around your lawn. This helps to prevent grass creeping from the lawn into your borders.

Keep the lawn looking smart by using long-handled edging shears after mowing, to trim back any long, overhanging grass that the mower doesn’t catch.

To feed or not to feed...

If you want to develop a more relaxed, wildflower-friendly lawn, then feeding is not required.

In fact, most lawns will grow perfectly well without being fed, giving you a green carpet to enjoy through much of the year. Traditionally, fertiliser was applied to lawns in spring to improve their vigour and help prevent weeds and moss from establishing. However, in many parts of the UK, our changing climate means that drought is now a bigger factor than lack of feeding in allowing weeds and moss to establish in lawns.

Feeding can give poor-growing lawns a boost, especially if you ultimately want a dense, all-grass lawn. When applying lawn feed:

• Be aware that artificial fertilisers take a lot of energy to manufacture and may have detrimental effects on the environment, so only apply if required and use the minimum amount to keep your grass in good shape – see our guide on how to feed
• Choose a specific spring/summer lawn fertiliser – see our guide to using fertilisers and our guide to organic gardening – and apply it at the manufacturer’s recommended rate in mid-spring, while the lawn is actively growing (usually late March to April). These feeds are high in nitrogen to boost leafy growth, and usually release their nutrients
  To grow well, plants need a wide range of nutrients in various amounts, depending on the individual plant and its stage of growth. The three key nutrients usually taken up from the soil are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Plants also need carbon, oxygen and hydrogen to make carbohydrates — their main energy source. Carbon and oxygen come from the air as carbon dioxide, while hydrogen is drawn from water absorbed by the roots. Other important soil nutrients include magnesium, calcium and sulphur. Most garden soils contain enough of these nutrients to support healthy plant growth. slowly over several months, so only need to be applied once
• Apply the fertiliser evenly across the lawn, ideally in cool, moist conditions when rain is expected, or lightly water it in afterwards
• If your lawn still looks poor in a couple of months, you can try another application, but not beyond August, as that would encourage green leafy growth too late in the year, when it could be damaged by winter cold, pests or disease

Do I need to water my lawn?

In most areas of the UK, rainfall from autumn to spring is usually sufficient to keep lawns lush, green and healthy.

In summer, when rainfall is usually lower, lawns can start to look parched, and in periods of drought the grass may turn brown and even die back. However, established lawns will soon recover once rainfall returns, so watering is generally not necessary. If you do want to water, use stored rainwater or grey water (washing-up or bath water, for example) wherever possible, instead of mains water.

For tips on looking after lawns in dry spells, see our guide to lawn care for drought .

New lawns

New lawns will need watering regularly in dry weather, until well established. Watering every seven to 10 days is normally enough, or less often if the weather is damp. Take care not to saturate the soil, as this may result in shallow rooting and poor establishment.

For more on what, when and how to water your garden, see our guide to watering .

What to do with lawn weeds

One gardener’s weedy lawn is another’s wildflower meadow. The more plants that grow in your lawn, the more biodiverse it will be and the more wildlife you’ll see.

If your aim is a traditional all-grass lawn, then hand-weeding is an effective method of removing unwanted plants. See our guide to weeds in lawns for all your options.

Moss often thrives in damp, poorly drained lawns. Many people enjoy the look and feel of it as an alternative to grass, and it’s great for lawn biodiversity. If you want to reduce moss, spring is a good time to rake it out and add it to the compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. heap. See our guide to moss in lawns .

Patch it up

If your lawn is looking sparse or has bare patches, you can sow a lawn seed mix. Although early autumn is the ideal time, it can also be done in mid-spring, once the weather is getting milder, to bring it back to full strength by summer. For full details, see our guide to repairing lawns .

Lawns can be affected by problems, and most can be successfully tackled in spring or summer if necessary. Common problems to look out for include:

Dead patches in lawns

Fusarium patch and Snow mould

Chafer grubs in lawns

Lawn: rust disease

Fairy rings

Leatherjackets