Mowing Is Eye-Opener For Gardener

There are so many projects to be done this time of year, I couldn’t make up my mind which project to write about - so I solved the problem for the time being by procrastinating. I donned gloves, grabbed my shovel and headed for a project of my own: weeding some overgrown perennial beds.

Before I could even attempt to spruce up the beds and reshape the borders, I needed to mow the lawn. This task usually is handled by my husband Jim (and my sons before they left home). Since Jim wasn’t around and I needed it done, I decided to do it.

I didn’t mind; after all mowing is a fairly easy task. It just takes time, or so I always told my boys when they were supposed to mow the lawn. Was I in for a shock. Today I discovered the new elite power lawn mower - “designed for easier lawn care.”

Problem one: The pull starter cord. The idea with this cord is to pull with all your might, stretching it to its limits, which in turn kicks something over, eventually causing the mower to sputter to a start.

I discovered, however, that my arm wasn’t long enough to accomodate the 50-foot cord (at least it seemed that long). And I couldn’t use my other hand to help because it was busy depressing the starter handle. As it was, I was the one being stretched to the limits and doing all the sputtering.

Finally it started, and we were on the move - which brings up problem two: deciding which one of us was the boss. As I engaged the wheels, I discovered the mower traveled at three speeds - fast, faster and warp.

Today’s power mowers are not meant for people with short legs and shorter strides. They are meant to be operated by world-class sprinters.

Trying to keep up with the mower presented problem three: Control (or lack of it). With legs moving a mile a minute and eyes glued to the turf, hoping to dodge anything that may cause me or the mower distress, I failed to see the low branches of the oak tree. The next thing I knew I was smashing into them.

Why I didn’t let go of the machine is beyond me. I must have thought it would cut a swath through the neighbors’ yard and drive off over the horizon. Instead, I held on for dear life as it pulled me, flailing and ducking the branches, through the oak.

Once out of the forest I stopped, planted both feet, and held on. The mower wheels were spinning, digging ruts into the lawn, while the mower was chomping at the bit like a racehorse at the starting gate. I finally released my hands and the mower engine died.

Looking back at the oak, I realized those graceful, low-hanging branches that I so cherished were a hazard. If I had problems mowing under them, so must the guys. That’s crazy. If grass is growing under the trees, they should be limbed high enough to walk under without fear of losing our heads.

With a few well-chosen cuts, the area is now safe for speeding mowers and their tag-alongs.

Free of the trees, I restarted the mower and headed for the perennial border. And problem four: Lawn that slopes into the flower gardens. I saw it coming. Heading into the slope at warp speed, I tried nosing the mower into the bank. But at that power and speed, gravity took over. The wheels slipped off the edge and we were mass pruning the phlox, daisies and anything else in our way.

After sputtering to a stop (we ran into a shrub), I sat there staring at the once-tidy bed.

This is crazy, I thought. If I have this much trouble controlling the mower on steep inclines, so must the guys. Solution: Make the flower bed wider, eliminating the slope. Any excuse for more flower space.

Boy, what a day.

I mowed some lawn, pruned a few trees and flowers, enlarged a flower bed and ran five miles. I’m plum tuckered out.

Where’s the person who said, “Mowing is easy; it just takes time”?

Gardening tip of the week: Either the mower person should have some input regarding the height of tree branches and the shape of flower beds or the gardener should run in the mower person’s shoes once in a while.

, DataTimes MEMO: The Coeur d’Alene Garden Club will stage its sixth annual garden tour Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at eight gardens in Coeur d’Alene and Hayden Lake. The tour is $7, $6 for seniors, $4 for children. Tickets and maps will be available Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the North Idaho College Library parking lot.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Phyllis Stephens The Spokesman-Review