A PPARENTLY HIS ENGLISH UPBRINGING didn’t prepare him for our American mania for mowing. Andre the now-Nebraskan doodler, who recently became a homeowner with a yard of his own to tame, seems to be feeling a little, shall we say, agitated. If I recall correctly, Robert Frost didn’t say, “Good weed whackers make good neighbors,” did he? Sigh. You? Any power tools got you buzzing mad?
my new book!
as seen in
Juicy Bits
name that weed I KNOW A LOT OF PLANTS by their proper names, but my “weeds,” not so much. These great weed-identification websites are helping me finally address them with the proper (dis)respect.
everything old is new VINTAGE 'GREEN' POSTERS from the WPA 1940s look fresher than ever.
shrubs to covet THE OLDER THE GARDEN and I get, the more we love these shrubs.
plants that perform 21 POWERHOUSE PERENNIALS you will love for your garden.
herb-garden help GROWING AND STORING a year of parsley.
berry peachy-keen CLAFOUTIS BATTER how-to (the solution for easy fruit desserts).
rex, rhizomatous and more FANCY-LEAF BEGONIAS, beauties for indoors and out.
crispy refrigerator pickles WHAT IS IT ABOUT refrigerator pickles that makes everybody so happy? Get those cukes ready!
winged victory THE GARDEN as bird habitat: 11 tips on what birds like.
keeping deer out DEER FENCE: I tried every anti-deer potion and trick till I got real and fenced. Strategies for every garden.
secrets to great tomatoes TOMATO TIPS, seed to harvest: Dozens of tricks for a better crop.
yes, even in dry shade MY 4 TOUGHEST GROUNDCOVERS perform even in the worst spots, like dry shade.
5 great small trees GARDEN-SIZED TREES can’t just be the right scale; they need to have multi-season interest, too. Have room for one of my favorites?
10 underplanting do’s and don’ts MAKING MOSAICS—that’s what I call good underplanting of trees and shrubs with a tapestry of plants. Here’s how.
making a 365-day garden THINK FALL (YES, FALL): Don’t get sucked in by spring-bloomers only at the nursery. A great garden happens 365 days: Shop smart to make it so.
the facts about bulbs SOMETHING UP with a flower bulb? Paltry bloom, or wondering when to feed or cut off the foliage? It’s all here.
must-read garden poem MY FAVORITE POEM celebrates loss, one of gardening (and life’s) realities. It does it with humor: "Why Did My Plant Die?” is a must-read. orchid rebloom made easy I REBLOOMED MY FIRST ORCHID recently (finally!) and it turns out to be pretty easy going. Here’s how.
can-do pruning REPEAT AFTER ME: I can prune. I can prune. If you follow this simple method for starters, your woody plants will thank you.
everything old is new VINTAGE 'GREEN' POSTERS from the WPA 1940s look fresher than ever.
shrubs to covet THE OLDER THE GARDEN and I get, the more we love these shrubs.
plants that perform 21 POWERHOUSE PERENNIALS you will love for your garden.
herb-garden help GROWING AND STORING a year of parsley.
berry peachy-keen CLAFOUTIS BATTER how-to (the solution for easy fruit desserts).
rex, rhizomatous and more FANCY-LEAF BEGONIAS, beauties for indoors and out.
crispy refrigerator pickles WHAT IS IT ABOUT refrigerator pickles that makes everybody so happy? Get those cukes ready!
winged victory THE GARDEN as bird habitat: 11 tips on what birds like.
keeping deer out DEER FENCE: I tried every anti-deer potion and trick till I got real and fenced. Strategies for every garden.
secrets to great tomatoes TOMATO TIPS, seed to harvest: Dozens of tricks for a better crop.
yes, even in dry shade MY 4 TOUGHEST GROUNDCOVERS perform even in the worst spots, like dry shade.
5 great small trees GARDEN-SIZED TREES can’t just be the right scale; they need to have multi-season interest, too. Have room for one of my favorites?
10 underplanting do’s and don’ts MAKING MOSAICS—that’s what I call good underplanting of trees and shrubs with a tapestry of plants. Here’s how.
making a 365-day garden THINK FALL (YES, FALL): Don’t get sucked in by spring-bloomers only at the nursery. A great garden happens 365 days: Shop smart to make it so.
the facts about bulbs SOMETHING UP with a flower bulb? Paltry bloom, or wondering when to feed or cut off the foliage? It’s all here.
must-read garden poem MY FAVORITE POEM celebrates loss, one of gardening (and life’s) realities. It does it with humor: "Why Did My Plant Die?” is a must-read. orchid rebloom made easy I REBLOOMED MY FIRST ORCHID recently (finally!) and it turns out to be pretty easy going. Here’s how.
can-do pruning REPEAT AFTER ME: I can prune. I can prune. If you follow this simple method for starters, your woody plants will thank you.
never stop wanting more plants, my garden mentor instilled in me 20-plus
years ago, regularly reminding me of another gardener, past 90, who still lusts
for every new thing he can get a cutting of. I promise not to, until I myself
am back in the soil.
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I understand Andre’s situation. I have a neighbor that does this on Sunday’s around 5:30 am, my dogs wake me at that time, but mowing should not be allowed until 9am on Sunday’s. Make sure your wife had huge bag of cash for bail if the gun goes off.
Right there with you my friend.
Along with the mowing, we have the landscaping crews and their giant trucks and animated chatter. I think we are the only family on the block that mows their own lawn yet the trucks are always parked in front of my house. I look out the window furious and they are all smiling and laughing and that always softens me…and then tell myself an early run was just what I needed.
Welcome, Countess. Nice to see you here. And thanks, Susan, for helping Mrs. Andre w/the preparatory steps. Good thinking. :)
Fortunately, most of my neighbors wait until 9 on Saturdays, 11 on Sundays, to start mowing. But it is the leaf blowers I can’t stand. The occasional chain saw and/or stump grinder also set my teeth on edge, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
I wonder how they manage it in Ireland? Oh, to be rich and own one of these big Chicago neighborhood buildings with the mostly dead patches of lawn on the curb. I’d rip it out and put in something lovely. Our neighborhood’s mowing crews tend to use the giant lawnmowers you stand on, for each 10 x 30 foot strip of lawn with trees. Ridiculous. One windshield replacement, so far.
Can’t complain about the noisy tree trimmers who spend all day deafening everyone, though. They’re finally providing a much needed service after years of neglect and falling limbs.
I am tempted to scatter forget-me-not seeds on all the lawns whilst the neighbors sleep – then they would mow less often due to the pretty but mysterious flowers that have suddenly appeared.
I feel the same way except in my case it’s 5 p.m. Saturday evening … just when you’re sitting down to enjoy a cocktail on the patio. Without fail that’s when the retired neighbor (meaning um … he COULD do this another time) chooses to run his lawn mower. And I saw run his lawn mower because sometimes he’s not even cutting the grass with it. Sometimes he just uses it to haul around a garden cart and pick up sticks. I’m liking Andre’s forget-me-not idea.
SAY, not saw. Got so irritated there for a second I forgot how to spell!
Oh my gosh, yes. There is a “lawn crew” that mows the guy next door’s lawn. Every.Saturday.morning. In the pouring rain, if it’s dead (I’m serious) in the winter, no matter what.
Welcome, Abby. Stump grinder: now THAT’S an irritating sound. Wow. See you soon again I hope.
I would just like to point out that the Jordan household is as anti-gun as we are anti-mowing the yard early* in the mornings!
*Erin, we had the same problem at the apartment from which we just moved!
For me, it is the blowers. Where do they think the debris goes? They blow and blow and blow, making an unholy racket and the first good wind from mother nature reverses the the wasted expenditure of gas. Get a broom. Grrrr.
My husband would do that on Sundays if I didn’t threaten him, our closest neighbor is a church and I doubt they would appreciate it.
Is someone going to hit me if I say I love the sound of a mower? It’s the chainsaw and chipper that make my teeth rattle and nerve endings explode.
Maybe Andre needs to become acquainted with the musing of the late great Mrs. Greenthumbs, Cassandra Danz. Her goal was to have no grass at all, just flowers. And, I think pretty much she achieved that in her home in Hudson. (Cassandra is no longer with us, but her garden is still there and flourishing.)
Oops, I forgot to add that Mrs. Greenthumbs’ books can be found on amazon.com.
I rented a house for a year before I bought my place. It had about 1/2 acre yard, and was surrounded by other houses with similar or slightly larger yard. My mower was in storage, but I’d brought along an old reel mower from a previous home, so I’d use that to mow. Now that’s a NICE sound! All my older neighbors would flock out and start telling story of “when I was a boy, I’d mow ten yards in a day” and so on. Then they’d turn back to their own yard, hop on their big ol’ riding mowers, and race me to finish.
At present my own mower needs a part, and I’m kind of missing its sound as I watch the dogs’ legs disappear in the deepening grass.
Welcome to Andre’s Wife (who I positively *swear* had a name when they met and married, but oh, well); welcome also to Leigh (who will go straight to heaven for her kindness and consideration), and also to Donna (the wind here is so fierce that you could blow or sweep nonstop and not stay ahead of it, but sweeping you can at least retain your hearing into old age, I figure).
Hope to see all of you again soon, and thank you.
The noise of people mowing used to bother me when I was younger. Inconsiderate neighbours would start mowing before midday while I was still asleep!
Since the arrival of children I no longer get to sleep. The sound of mowing generally passes me by in the sleep-deprived dream world I inhabit.
Actually our neighbours are far enough away that their power tools are more of a background noise rather than an irritant. On the rare occasion I get to sit down outside, I find it rather nice to hear the distant sounds of a neighbour mowing their lawn.
Welcome, Nemaslug. Sorry about that sleep-deprivation; funny how it modifies one’s reaction to things. Next time I feel irritated by sounds I will think “background noise, rather than irritant.” Thanks.
My dream is to get my neighbors to mow at the same time so I don’t have to listen to mowers all day! I have six neighbors within “earshot” of my place. It seems one finishes and 15 minutes later another starts. My friend loves the sound of a mower – she exclaims, “ah, the sounds of summer”. To me the sounds of summer are the birds chirping, leaves rustling, chipmunks chipping, and creek happily bubbling by. NOT the drone of a 2-stroke motor.
It’s so reassuring to know I’m not the only one who goes absolutely over the edge at the sound of mowers! I LOVE MiSchelle’s idea of syncronized mowing. I try to enjoy my porch and garden as much during the week as possible because it’s quite then.
But on the bright side, come mid-July and August, most of the neighbors’ yards are quiet because their grass has been burned to within an inch of its life! Lemonade on the porch anyone? :)
Ah, the bliss and peace of living in the suburbs. Sigh. Weekends are a delightful awakening to the music of power mowers, trimmers, whackers, weeders and blowers, punctuated by the rhythmic barking, yapping, howling and baying of all the dogs left out in the yards and driveways.
The price I pay for choosing not to live out in the boonies, I guess. I do like living close to markets and schools but oh, sometimes I regret my decision.
Ditto what Erin said! I wish there was some way to get all neighbors to agree to mow weekly at the same time (good fantasy, huh?!?). Our back neighbors have a huge lot…and are retired. Invariably, just as we sit down to enjoy a post work drink-and-how-was-your-day visit out on the deck, watching the birds at the feeders and bird baths, the mowing/weedwhacking begins. They are very nice people…but dang, if you’re lucky enough to be retired – can’t ya be considerate enough to do it DURING the day?!? Sigh…OK…I’m done……
Margaret – your Open Garden pics (both before and after) were wonderful. I know how much work goes into getting ready for something like that – one of the rewards being you won’t have to bust your *ss as intensely out there for a while and can enjoy the fruits and flowers of your (and your wonderful helpers’) labors!
Funny, as I’m reading this I’m sitting in my office and one of those gigantic mowers Chigal talked about is mowing the little apron sized lawn outside the office window. Teeth grinding noise but it’s so nice to smell the clippings and then the robins always show up to see what the mower has turned up. Could shut the window but the office building air conditioning is miserable — worth the noise to have the fresh air.
Welcome, Wendy. I think it’s a quorum here: We are going to pass legislation that everyone in a neighborhood mow simultaneously or else. Hope to see you again (and hope you get some peace).
@CovingtonKat: Thank you. And did you say *ss? :)
my sentiments exactly! fortunately, most crews around here wait till 8am before they start their engines, but one crew or another keeps the neighborhood buzzing on and off for the rest of the day. or, is that all the air conditioners running to drown out the mower/blower noise? guess i should just shut my windows and get back to my lawn elimination plans…
ooh, synchronized mowing, now there’s an idea…! do you think trash and recycling pickup could be incorporated into the act? ha!
Yes, I am surrounded with the power tool people. The mowers, the table saws, the weed whackers, the leaf blowers. They all drive me crazy :). And we all live in the city–tiny lots. We use a push mower–gets the job done in minutes. If they used their tools in the middle of the day, I *might* like it better. One guy starts up his table saw every evening at around 5:00–including Sat. and Sun.–just when you think you can sit outside and enjoy your garden in peace and quiet. I agree with the synchronized mowing idea–let’s get all tools with engines in sync!
I totally relate to Andre! I am so NOT a morning person, so the weekend crack of dawn power yardworkers are not appreciated at all! If you are going to get up that early, shouldnt your activities be quite and meditative? not fueled by diesel?!
We have watering days here (due to water restrictions). I agree with the synchronized lawnmowing — do it just like we do with the watering.
It appears the guys in my neighborhood are engaged in a lawn equipment arms race. The big leather boots come on, goggles, ear muffs and out come the biggest, loudest lawnmowers, blowers, trimmers, and yes stump grinders available to buy, borrow, or rent. You’d swear it was a community of lumberjacks…with postage stamp sized lots ;-)
The mowing doesn’t make me mad so much as it makes me feel despair. Really doesn’t matter when; I work at home and have had days when I would step outside periodically throughout and hear mowing every single time. Yes, from 7:00AM until 8:00PM, at least one mower was always running within earshot. Right now it’s 6:20PM at the end of a rainy day and I can hear a mower.
Personal lawns are among the biggest crime committed against the general population… maybe even a bigger crime than oversized SUVs. We plant lawns with nearly every house, and the greatest component of our relationship with them is to keep them from growing. Well… we keep them growing so we can cut them down. How stupid is that?
Everyone should take the challenge of replacing as much of their lawn as they can with useful alternatives: meadows provide cover for beneficial insects and insect-eating animals… and seeds for attractive birds. Kitchen gardens provide food for people. Fruit bush hedges, grape arbors, fruit trees over meadow grasses, wooded yards with leafy ground covers are all more useful than lawns. Let your yard become a natural area that belongs in nature rather than a constant battle zone against nature.
I’ll be writing about this topic periodically on both my blogs in coming months: Your Small Kitchen Garden and Your Home Kitchen Garden. Please keep up the chatter about it.
Welcome, Daniel. I guess we didn’t need to convince you about our cause. :) Thanks for the well-said words on lawn alternatives, and for your visit. See you soon again.
Personally, I like to mow the lawn. It gives me an hour and a half, or two hour walk on my own property. I think it is a bit stupid to mow the grass early in the morning, or to soon after it rains. The lawn should be dry, not wet in any way, because it puts strain on the mower, and the wet grass builds up quickly under the mower, and stalls it out OFTEN. When I see a person mowing really early, I think they are new to the process, and don’t know how to do it right. I live in an area, PROBABLY not unlike the “Countess of Nassau”. Most of the neighboring properties have lawn service people on them any given day of the week. I think it is fine that there are crews of men and women being employed in the gardening industry, and it keeps our area looking Crisp and Clean. There is nothing worse than a person letting their lawn growing to tall, especially if it is next to you. I like the well groomed look! I had a neighbor who is a doctor. I would be out front , working on my garden, and he would jog by. This was a constant thing until, he moved to an even more affluent part of town. The doctor would have gotten better exercise walking behind a self propelled mower on his own lawn, than jogging along a busy road. The HUMBLE process of mowing, mush have been to “COMMON’ for him! Another lady that I know, was SHOCKED when a Haughty social lady said to her at a community meeting…”O, You are the lady that mowes her own lawn”. …… Doesn’t that make you LAUGH!
ATV’s and those motorcycles with the glass exhausts to make them extra loud. Oh, and lumber trucks at 4:30 AM, with air breaks. No one mows Sunday here, since the church services would be disturbed, and no one mows before 9am on Saturdays, but heaven forbid if you don’t happen to mow for a week or two. I’m the renegade with daffodil grass islands, paths in long grass and a preference for messing in dirt instead of mowing. When my feet are soaked, its finally time.
So true. So very, very true. I need to have this. Any way that Andre would be willing to sell a print of it?
Sorry to come late to the party but in defense of retired types? It is often too hot to mow during the day – that is hard on the “older” mower (cough cough) and hard on the grass. That while you are settling in to enjoy a drink mower has waited all afternoon long for it to cool off enough to mow quickly before the mosquitoes set up for the night. At least that is what I “hear”….
I did prevail in getting rid of most of the lawn and moving to a push-reel mower but will confess to years of cocktail hour two-stroke engine disruption prior to that.
Apologies, universe!
Welcome, Deb. Thanks for your confession (and yes, it’s too hot midday, you are right). See you soon again, I hope…maybe at cocktail hour? :)