Monty Don’s July warning to gardeners over grass clipping mistake

Monty Don has shared advice to people planning to get out in garden during the month of July

As spring bulbs fade and wildflower meadows come to the end of their flowering season, July is the perfect time to start preparing the garden for cutting back.

However, a small mistake at this stage can influence how the garden looks next year. Monty Don, the well-known British gardening expert and author, noted in a July blog post that although summer warmth encourages longer grass growth, it’s important to collect all grass clippings and never leave them scattered behind.

Not only does it look bad, but it also affects your plants. He explained: “All Spring-flowering bulbs should have completely died back so that long grass can be cut without affecting their display next year.”

Speaking about Longmeadow, his famous two-acre private garden, the British broadcaster and writer, known for presenting BBC Gardeners’ World, added: “At Longmeadow, we often wait until August to do this because not all wild flowers have set seed, but by the end of July most wild flower meadows can be safely cut back.

“The important thing is to remove all the grass, raking up every last piece to compost so that it will not enrich the grass and thus limit next year’s wild flower display.”

Yes – even though adding nutrients to the soil might seem like an obvious benefit, it can actually do more harm than good in this case. That’s why, after mowing your lawn, it’s important to collect all the grass clippings and avoid leaving any behind on the ground.

Can I mow the grass when it’s wet?

According to BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, you should only mow when the “grass and the soil beneath it is dry.

“Mowing when the ground is sodden can lead to compaction, the mower will smear and rut the soil, and wet grass clippings will clump and smother the lawn below.”

Posing the question “how often should I mow my lawn?”, it suggests: “Mow your lawn fortnightly in early spring and autumn, when the grass is growing more slowly, and weekly in the summer months. With climate change making winters milder, you may need to cut in winter, too.”