Has the employee mowing the lawn abandoned his job? No, he did what he was told: he only cut where necessary. An ecological choice.
Differentiated management, as described by the City of Montreal, is an adapted maintenance of green spaces according to their characteristics and uses.
Parc Félix-Leclerc in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district is a good example, explains Sier-Ching Chantha, the district’s greening research officer.
Differentiated management at Parc Félix-Leclerc in Montreal.
Photo: Louis-Etienne Dore
There are large lawns here. We are on the edge of Boulevard Langelier and it is on a hillside. Since this area is little used and cannot be developed, it is very well suited for differentiated management.
“For example a soccer field. Of course, the lawn must be mowed short to practice the sport, so mowing weekly is really justified, but in other places less used, no! »
– A quote from Sier-Ching Chantha, Greening Research Officer
This practice has the advantage of reducing the cost and man-hours of mowing the lawn and, most importantly, promoting biodiversity.
Sier-Ching Chantha, Commissioner for Greening Research in the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve District
Photo: Radio Canada / Karine Mateu
This allows plants to flower and complete their life cycle. Long grass is a habitat for insects and attracts birds! And it helps regulate temperature, she argues. There is a difference between mowed and unmowed grass, it can be 5 degrees Celsius colder.
For the past two years, the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, like many other districts, has been applying this approach and more parks and green spaces are being added every year, such as the Promenade-Bellerive park.
Differentiated management is also used for certain embankments and in the vicinity of main roads.
Practice of differentiated management along rue Notre-Dame near the Promenade-Bellerive park.
Photo: Radio Canada / Karine Mateu
It doesn’t need a perfect lawn!
Sacks of grass seed are stacked to the ceiling in Gloco’s warehouse. The Quebec company sells to garden centers, cities, the Department of Transportation and golf courses, among others.
We have over 180 mixes. We have here a mixture that is used to revitalize mines. We make a mix called MTQ (Ministère du Transport du Québec) that we put up by the side of the road. “We have them for dry, wet, sandy, rocky or sloping soils,” continues Bruno Chabot, Gloco’s horticultural sales representative. This is a mixture that holds the soil together to prevent erosion.
Lawn has many benefits, he argues. Not only does it adapt to different soils and climates, but it is also resistant to foot traffic and road salt and is much cooler than concrete. And you don’t need a perfect lawn to enjoy it!
We are not allowed to cut it every Saturday at 10am after cleaning! People often tend to cut the lawn too short, he warns. That comes mostly from England, from the monarchy, where we saw rich people who had beautiful lawns. People are in a different stage now.
Bruno Chabot, Horticultural Sales Representative at Gloco
Photo: Radio Canada / Karine Mateu
And, he adds, it’s not necessary to have a lawn all over the country, but in certain spots where you want to enjoy it and the rest of the country you can fill it with flowers, wild for example.
“In the best of all possible worlds, avoiding monoculture is important. The same is true if we choose to plant clover instead of grass. »
– A quote from Bruno Chabot, Horticultural Sales Representative at Gloco
The company, which has been in existence for more than 100 years, has adapted to the needs of its customers over the years, assures Bruno Chabot, and today produces so-called eco-grass. It changes, we see it. So we created a lawn of clover and other grasses that is used in Montreal.
Beyond Quebec
Differentiated management at Haggerston Park in London.
Photo: Danielle Dagenais
Danielle Dagenais, professor at the University of Montreal’s School of Planning and specialist in green infrastructure, has just returned from London, where she has noticed that the practice of differentiated management is increasingly being applied there.
“There is no doubt in the world that the approach [de la gestion différenciée] growing, that’s for sure! »
— A quote from Danielle Dagenais, professor at the University of Montreal
What struck me in London 15-20 years ago, in very high quality royal parks like Regent’s Park, there were sections where the lawn was not manicured, particularly under the trees, the teacher explains. This time, small, large, majestic and differentiated management will be applied in all parks.
That doesn’t mean we don’t mow at all. The goal is not to have forests. “It’s more about the fact that we’ve learned when to do it and when not to do it,” she adds.
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The problem remains social acceptance of not mowing the lawn, believes Danielle Dagenais. There may be areas in the city where implementation makes less sense and others where acceptance is greater. We also need to involve citizens and it’s important to keep a close eye on which areas of the parks are being used and which aren’t.
In the Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, too, we have recognized the importance of providing appropriate information to citizens, but also to employees. There are also signs everywhere in the parks that read: “Less mowing, more biodiversity”.
When we started people thought it wasn’t maintained. So we realized that the communication aspect is very important. It is also important to educate employees about the reasons why we are doing this when citizens ask them questions, but also so that they find the motivation to do this type of work! concludes Sier Ching Chantha.