BRIGHT RED AND BROKEN
She had a good life. My lawn mower, that is.
It was a bright red Craftsman brand mower that I purchased at Sears seventeen years ago... remember that place? This one was a small, self-propelled push mower and it was all I needed for the small lawn we had. It kept the lawn looking tidy and did an equally good job at helping me keep the maintenance simple on my landscape. It chopped up huge crops of leaves in the fall and mowed down the dried-up residue of last year’s perennial gardens early each spring.
That last “mowing” project isn’t exactly what the manufacturer had in mind for their machine, but it accomplished the task nicely for me and saved me a lot of extra work. However, it didn’t come without some collateral damage.
A few years into my new mower, and during one of my perennial garden clean-ups, the self-propelled function of the mower broke. Apparently, a machine designed to trim a yard of soft grass didn’t appreciate the abuse I was giving it mowing over and chopping up the hard stalks of perennials along with the abundance of plant residues and accumulated leaves that existed by the time this springtime project took place.
But luckily, I’m pretty good at fixing things and before long I was back in business, until a few years later when it happened again. Again, I fixed things, but it wasn’t very long before it broke yet again... and this time was the last. I tried everything I could, but nothing worked. So, I just gave up.
The thing was, it still mowed just fine. It started up quickly and ran smoothly, leaving neatly groomed grass or last year’s perennial garden in its wake. It just didn’t pull itself along like it used to. No worries, I told myself. We never had a self-propelled mower growing up and I survived just fine. So, I convinced myself that’s what I had now, a mower like the old days. No problem.
But it wasn’t quite that simple.
Although the “self-propelled” mechanism was no longer working as assist propulsion, the guts and gears of that portion of the mower were quite effective at creating some extra drag. I could still push the mower, but it felt like it had brakes that were being pushed too.
It wasn’t ideal.
But again, the thing still worked! And as my wife can confirm, I’ll keep using something until it completely falls apart, and then, and only then will I worry about replacing it. She says I’m just stubborn, but I like to say I just hate being wasteful!
So, I kept using the mower, accepting the added resistance as a little extra “beneficial” exercise.
Years later, when we moved into a home with a much bigger yard, I added a riding mower to my arsenal... but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try to pull off maintaining the new place with the same old mower. I did… a couple of times… and it nearly killed me!
The new riding mower solved the majority of my lawn mowing needs, but not all of them. There were still a number of small, awkward areas where the push mower was the best solution. I kept it around and continued to get a little extra “beneficial” exercise each week.
But that finally changed a few weeks ago.
I was mowing out back, knocking out one of those awkward spots, when the handle broke. I quickly learned, that when choosing between a mower with a broken self-propelling mechanism and one with a broken push handle, you choose the former... and you never choose one with both!
Trust me, it’s really hard to push a mower with a broken handle. So, I finally threw in the towel and bought a new one, and what a difference having something that actually works correctly makes! I probably should have given in a long time ago. 😊
Cameron Rees, General Manager
Sometimes our landscapes can be a little like my old broken-down push mower. They still work... but they are far from ideal. We find ourselves putting up with plants that get too big, others that fail to perform, some that just won’t stay alive, and of course, weeds that never fail to thrive!
But just like my old mower, things don’t have to be that way either. There are solutions out there for most landscape problems, but you have to be willing to admit things are less than ideal. Once you do, we can help you rethink, replan, and redo areas that need a little attention. All you’ve got to do is ask.
And my recommendation is don’t wait until it completely breaks down!
—Cameron Rees
inside skinner’s employee gardens: BRIAN bUHLER
Have you ever wondered what the employees at Skinner Garden Store do with all the beautiful plants they buy and take home? With each different gardener comes a different personality, different style, and different techniques. We thought you might enjoy getting a sneak peak at some of the work that the Skinner employees do, tending to their own gardening passions.
Today, we feature the home garden handiwork of Skinner’s Nursery Manager, Brian Buhler. He’s definitely cultivated some special areas in his landscaping.
If you have questions about any of Brian’s plants, trees, or shrubs, call, email, or message us… or just stop by the store and Brian would be happy to talk with you. Enjoy!
“THYMELY” ADVICE:
FALL GARDENS START NOW!
Fall can be a productive time for the vegetable garden. In fact, many of the crops we grow through the spring season do even better during the fall season, where the general cooling trend in temperatures favors better growth and a tastier harvest.
But as always, you can’t enjoy fall produce if you don’t plant it!
There are three main areas to focus on for new plantings aimed at fall harvest...
1. Leafy Greens – spinach, lettuce, and Swiss chard
Spinach and lettuce can be directly seeded into the garden as the hotter temps of summer start to fade. For earlier crops, start seeds inside now for transplanting into the garden over the weeks to come. Consider multiple plantings to provide a fresh harvest over a longer period.
2. Root Vegetables – beets, carrots, radishes, turnips and parsnips
These can be planted at any time now and harvested as through the fall season and on into early winter.
3. Cole Crops (or brassicas) – cabbage, kale, broccoli, and collards
Seed directly into the garden or start indoors and transplant out later
We have lots of vegetable seed available, along with all the seed starting supplies you’ll need for starting crops indoors. As we get into August, we’ll also have some vegetable transplants available for quicker results.
Let the fall planting begin!
get ready for fall lawn seeding
It’s hot now, but fall will be here before we know it and with it will come the fall lawn season.
Fall is the best time to plant grass seed, but the best time to get the lawn cleaned up and ready for fall seeding is right now.
If you have unwanted grass or weeds that need to be killed out first, it’s time to start. Treat areas you are wanting to kill out with Hi-Yield Killz All, following label directions. Continue applications every week or two until everything you want dead is dead. Once you’ve got a clean slate and the right weather, you should be ready go.
Here are a few extra suggestions to help make your project more successful:
Follow label directions! Mixing stronger than directed will not improve results and can sometimes end up doing just the opposite.
Continue to mow at your regular mowing height.
Keep the area you are treating well-watered. Drought stressed plants are harder to kill, and dormant plants will be will next to impossible to kill. And keep watering the area even after things turn brown. You want to encourage anything with life left in it to try and grow.
Use Hi-Yield Herbicide Enhancer to increase the effectiveness of your spray solution. It works.
Using dye in your spray mix can make it easier to keep track of what you have sprayed and what you haven’t. We have that available too.
Wait a week after your last application to do your seeding.
Stay tuned for more fall seeding information to come!
