Rewilding but what would Hyacinth Bucket say?

In the context of the current focus on rewilding and the preservation of biodiversity, Hyacinth’s catchphrase plays out in many people’s minds, as they decide whether to cut the lawn; whether the beds look untidy, and if a weed is to be removed or allowed to live while feeding insects and improving soil health.

No Mow May is a national campaign that aims to boost flowers and nectar available to pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies and moths. It also allows spring flowers to set seed and plants to establish themselves before summer whilst helping to tackle pollution, reduce urban heat extremes and lock away atmospheric carbon below ground.

As the charity Plantlife explains: “We have lost approximately 97 per cent of flower-rich meadows since the 1930s and with them gone is vital food needed by pollinators.”

Our tidiness stems from a human desire for order amidst the often messy and chaotic backdrop of life. It is bound up with feelings of status and respectability amidst the oft-found predilection that people must compare themselves with others.

The character of Hyacinth Bucket drilled deeply into the English psyche and at times the revelations were painfully and personally recognisable.

There is, of course, a halfway house. Mowing the edge strip and leaving a ‘neater’ core of unmown ‘wild area’ is increasingly popular.

“Yes, you see, we meant this!” it proclaims. Is this virtue signalling or a happy balance of competing ideologies?

On many new housing developments, there is a planning stipulation to manage the biodiversity requirements for thirty years and there are firms now able to manage this with assessment, management, and monitoring, at a cost to the homeowner, of course.

It’s hard not to be a little cynical and yet we all need to do more to protect nature and biodiversity.

Whatever the relative merits of the recent biodiversity net gain rules, it’s a good time to be an ecologist.

Notions of tidiness and order are being challenged by the new orthodoxies. Perhaps this allows us to relax more and enjoy the chaos and beauty of the nature around us.

As the tide turns, will societal expectations change too? "Mowing the lawn in May? What would the neighbours say!"

*Tips: Mow strategically and promote areas that are mown less frequently or adjust the height of your mower to allow plants to develop stronger root systems and be more resilient to adverse weather conditions.

*Mow fortnightly and go organic by ditching herbicides and pesticides and use native plants that support local wildlife.

Malcolm Birks is Head of Design at Rural Solutions www.ruralsolutions.co.uk