Last week a St. Paul building inspector stopped by and mentioned. He was concerned about a neighbor’s lawn. I told him about “no-mow May”. He informed me that the city does not recognize “no-mow May”. The good news is that unless your house is condemned, the inspectors will not issue citations for long grass. However, if someone complains to the city about long grass in your yard you could receive a ticket.
It is a good idea to let your neighbors know why you are not mowing and that you will mow your lawn in a week or two.
The idea behind no-mow May is to provide food for pollinators by allowing the weeds to bloom. If the lawn is just grass it doesn’t matter if it is mowed. The ornamental lawn does not provide food for pollinators. Grass needs a lot of water and in the city, it needs to be kept short too.
Last year because of the drought and watering restrictions many of us just let our lawns go dormant.
