Fall is, as anyone who has had to transplant things, a very good growing season.  Spring and Fall are far kinder to plants than either Summer or Winter.  In the cooler, usually wetter, months of September and October, root systems can really take hold.  We cut the long grass of the west lawn, an experiment, down in late August.  This sacrificed the asters and goldenrod (which are nicely flowering in another patch that will be cut later).  In exchange the wild thyme, bunch grasses and sedges have rebounded.  What was a browned off, dusty patch is carpeted with tufted grasses, thyme, sorrel, and other plants such as wild sedum.  This is very important for the thyme, in order to avoid winter kill it needs to be short and growing with vigour.  If it gets to lanky, the loss of the entire plant is possible.

In theory the taller grasses should also benefit the insects, and thus the birds.  What is particularly interesting, however, is that the taller grass shows no sign of grub damage…unlike the areas that are kept as traditional lawn turf.  Whether the grubs don’t like the tall grass or the damage doesn’t show isn’t clear.  But I lean towards the former.  Our grub eater par-excellence, the skunk, is not digging in the long grass areas, which suggests the grubs aren’t there.  Another strike against the traditional lawn?