Local residents encouraged to make space for native plants in their yards

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio (WJW) – From “No Mow May” to “Grow More May,” Cleveland Heights is launching a new Urban Garden Project this spring to potentially help the environment and save the city money.

“No Mow May” in 2023 was part of an international movement where people were encouraged to not mow their grass for the entire month to reduce emissions among other things.

Although the idea was rooted in good intentions and supposed to help pollinating insects, it instead produced some unpleasant results and had many residents irate over pests and overgrown grass blocking sidewalks.

“Then May was over and everybody had to deal with it,” said homeowner Gary Lustic, “So you didn’t save any money on gas or pollution or anything else and it made a mess having to cut foot-long grass which doesn’t help the pollinators.”

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However, the effort was successful in sparking serious conversations that have inspired the new initiative, “Grow More May.”

This time, instead of not maintaining their yards, residents are encouraged to make space for native plants and ground coverings which don’t require mowing and attract pollinators like bees and butterflies.

“So we are not encouraging people to not do something, but to proactively take steps to remove portions of turf grass in their yards and replace it with something that’s a bit more sustainable,” said Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren (D).

The mayor is actually replacing a portion of his own yard and portions of the city’s grassy medians with microclover to save taxpayers money, which can be redirected to help residents in other ways.

“The city has 23 acres of grass filled median strips that we are constantly trying to keep up with. This will allow us to reduce mowing and create something beautiful,” he said, “We’re saving time, we’re saving money, we’re saving our environment.”

People are invited to participate and can do as much or little as they’d like.

On Corydon Avenue, some residents including Gary Lustic have already established four foot by four foot native plant gardens.

Collectively, the properties are known as the Pollinators Path.

“The nice thing about native plants is it takes less inputs, so there’s less water, there’s less fertilizer, the insects like them. I mean, it’s absolutely amazing how many kinds of bees there are,” said Lustic.

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The city will also be tracking the results so they can determine the program’s impact, which could potentially lead to grant money.

“That’s what we’re here for, ultimately, is to increase the quality of life for the residents of Cleveland Heights,” said Mayor Seren.

To learn more about the project residents are encouraged to check out the city’s website.

Everyone is invited to the native plant sale on Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Cleveland Heights Community Center, 1 Monticello Blvd, Cleveland Heights.

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