The City of Roseville will now focus on year-round pollinator health, sunsetting the Less Mow May program.
The Roseville City Council voted to end Less Mow May following new guidance from the University of Minnesota Bee Lab, which indicates that leaning into pro-pollinator gardening and lawn practices throughout the growing season are more beneficial than letting grass grow long in May.
With the conclusion of Less Mow May, there will be no suspension of enforcement of Roseville’s lawn ordinances this May. Turf grass will need to be less than eight inches high, according to city code.
“We felt Less Mow May was an opportunity to get people involved in sustainability efforts from their yards without undertaking a more significant landscaping project, but while well-intentioned, the original program wasn’t the most effective way to support pollinators,” Noelle Bakken, Roseville’s Sustainability Specialist, said. “This re-framing will create additional opportunities to connect with residents throughout the year on how they can make their yard a haven for pollinators!”
Most of the beneficial, blooming species that we are seeing in grass, including clover and dandelions, don’t typically grow beyond 4 inches, which are well within existing turf, Bakken said.
Suspension of lawn ordinances also created some confusion and issues with problem properties that lingered into the summer months. In 2022, the city inspector received feedback from residents expressing confusion about whether or not they were allowed to mow their lawns in May. There were more than 20 overgrown properties that the city had to bring back into code compliance in June.
No Mow May/Less Mow May is an international movement that started in the United Kingdom and has become popular with American cities in recent years.
New research in Minnesota has found it’s not as beneficial for pollinators in our climate. Pollinators need habitat and forage throughout the year, not just in May.
“It’s a growing understanding of how best to respond to this situation. University of Minnesota Bee Lab was advocating for No Mow May a few years ago too and now they have shifted their messaging,” Bakken said to the council.
Residents who would like to recraft their existing “Less Mow May” signs into “Less Mow Summer” can pick up stickers at City Hall starting in mid-late April. Reach out to Noelle Bakken via email.