After the forums amusing (!) interest in Nicola's striped lawn and my fascination with how gardeners tackle their greens,,,, tell me more, oh please!!! The diversity among us will be amazing.
Terry do you use a push mower on what's left of your lawn? Can we see pic?
And I've heard about Caro's monster that tames her prairies, can we see?

I use a very cheap push mower, I have so little lawn that with an electric one it used to take longer to unwind the cable than it did to cut the grass. No pics, my lawns if you can call them that are in very poor condition, they really are neglected.

You may call it old and cheap Terry, but I adore any push mowers - the older the better. Just park it in front of a pretty bed and let me get nostalgic over it!

Push ones are rare over here, but the interest is growing since it has been reported that 1 gas mower puts out pollution equiv to 72 emission-improved car engines. Surely I have that wrong, surely it is the other way around? but don't think so.

When I was a kid over there, my dad used his Amer gas powered mower and all the neighbors were rather indignant about it, back then in the old days! It's an example of always being conceived as 'alien' in that eternal culture warp. But I adored the look and sound of the pushed ones, the grass smells.... someone stop me.

Can I see your mower Nicola???
Isn't this sad,,, just call me Hopeless Romantic

Sorry Maggie I'm not your lawnmower man, you missed my old one, shame really, it was over 40 years old, but I foolishly disposed of it a few years ago. The one I use now is almost brand new, bet it doesn't last 40 years.

Fine. I'll just my own.

here's the 'post' word i just left out and now where are those pics i wanna scan for posting?

Since we haven't had any rain in a month and a half, I don't really need to mow, but I'll try to get Son to take a pic of the monster mower today.

Oh, and are you nuts!! What is there to be romantic over a push mower??? Maybe I've just always had large lawns and lived on hills, but no way do I want one of those things! Its bad enough when I have to drag out the gasoline mulcher/mower to do a few places the monster mower can't get to.

The last time I used a push mower was in about '73 and I was spending the summer at my parents' house in Ft. Worth, taking care of 2 sick parents (heart attack - Dad; cancer - Mom), as well as my youngest brother who was about 7. Mother had decided that all she needed was a push mower and had sold the self-propelled mower she'd had for years. What an aberration! The only chance I had to mow was while all were napping in mid-afternoon. That was when I had my first encounter with heat stroke. No fond memories there.

Sorry about the above, guys. Please note the time, and note, as well, that I had already been up for an hour, since my husband had to open the store today. Guess I was grumpy. If you want to wax eloquent about your fond memories of pushmowers, who am I to rain on your parade???

Glad you've stated what I wanted to :-0 !
Gee gal, I was nicer to David than that when he erroneously corrected me on a plant zone! hahaha

I told you. It happens every year. I get in a bad mood the first part of August and it lasts until the first cool day. I wasn't kidding!

If I might add to this forum??? I bought my Dad's Lawnmower(Push mower) at my Aunt's Estate sale and gave it to my Mother...She was happy to get it considering it was my Dad's first lawnmower!!
I think I could use it today.....It was made a lot better back then........Ofcourse I am not the same as back....Well I will stick with my Honda mower and the power it has for now.....
I do believe the best invention ever made for lawns.......was the WEEDEATER or string line wacker....I hated as a kid to cut around trees, the driveway and curb with those HAND shears!!! Man, I hated that and the blisters......

That's ok Caro, let's just postpone that field trip until Oct, okay? Naaaw, just kidding. I was so foul last Aug, that I still cringe about it and am still apologizing about it to this day. Course, some of my family are still not talking to me since then ;-). I think the new automatic sprinkler system may have preserved the rest of my human contacts this year. This heat is so unbearable - note to our UKers - 3rd yr in row of excessive amount of over 100F days. It hasn't been this bad for a couple of decades and never 3yrs in a row that I can remember.

That was neat to hear about your Dad's push mower David!! I am so glad your Mother still has it. I keep hoping to come across one in an estate sale one day. Make note Caro !!

Here's one that might resemble Nicola's. I loved hearing that hers is still around after 20 yrs and on its 2nd motor.

Oh yessss and those hand clipper blisters!!! Me too David. And everyone I know with a Honda mower, raves about it too.

Carolyn & Maggie, since we're all hating the heat and grumbling, let's do something to brighten our days! Road trip to Lover's Lane in Dallas where I'm dying to take a look at some garden shops. More art, than plants. This weekend? Next weekend? Early saturdays are better for me. I'll drive. Will that help improve our moods? I know most people want to wait til it's cooler but when it gets cooler I don't want to go anywhere but my garden so I reserve the hots days to drive around in an air conditioned car and go into air conditioned stores.

I'd rather go further away for Aug. Wish England was closer! But you are right about not wanting to leave the garden when its bearable to be in it after 8am. Me too!

I don't know about the mower Maggie but I lust after those hedges, where was that picture taken? My mower is a rotary not a cylinder, I will take a picture of it I promise but when it will get developed I can't say.

Cranborne in Devon. I wanted to illustrate a mower with rollers and its talent, since average household mowers here don't have them.
That lovely above, grooms this immaculate striped croquet lawn.

Hey Nicola, does yours resemble this?
heehee

Teehee, sorry, I couldn't resist!
Imagine how heavy that would be to push with the roller on back and no engine.

No Maggie, it is just a tad more modern than that one and it is power driven thank goodness. I think that Ransomes are still in business though.

I bet they are!
Here's one for Caro. When her monster breaks down or when they ban lawn mower engines. ;-)
Then her mules would have a part time job to abjunct their wolf watch, coyote cover, boar bannishing, , I forget exactly which or if all.

Could get a bit messy for the guy walking behind. ;-)

Aw, it would only be very flat fertilizer, you stinker.

Oh no, I'm going to get it from Caro - she has DONKEY's, not mules!

Yes, there is a diff between donkeys and mules. I was thinking it would be funny if the guy in front was drunk. That would be another way to get "wompy" (is that the right word, Nicola) stripes.

At the moment, I'm just trying to keep my grass alive, and to avoid having stripes: the dead stripe, the almost dead stripe, the must get more water than the rest stripe.... Its been 61 days since we had rain!

Nothing worse than a wonkey donkey.
You mean I've been going around saying 'wonkey' all these years and no one told me its not used here?

Around this har parts, Ms. Brit, we use squiggley for wonkey. Which reminds me of one of my favorite childhood games, Mr. Piggley Wiggley.

Well, ya could've told me. David let's me know these things.
and, only 1/2, Darling.

Hey Gail! I thought Piggley Wiggley was a grocery store chain!!!

That too, but does anyone out there remember the game? Maybe I'm dating my self...

No, I never heard of a game by that name Gail. I do have vivid, but probably boring, memories of when the first PW opened in town.

OK chaps, you can call me English if you like but I somehow can't imagine myself purchasing anything from a shop called PIGGLEY WIGGLEY!!

I discovered today that the first lawnmower was patented in 1830 by Edwin Beard Budding.

It was actually a pretty nice grocery store, Nicola. When I was little, I couldn't pronouce it right, so I called it "The Pig Store." I can go a grocery store with an ever worse name. Furrs. There is even a cafeteria chain of the same name. Isn't that gross? Sounds like the science projects in my refrigerator.

So, I just knew you were going to attach a pic of the first lawnmower.

I believe there still is Piggly Wiggly Stores in Florida and the deep South.......
I still say Weedeaters or Weedwackers are 10 times better than Lawnmowers......and yes Nicola you are ENGLISH!! Just thought I would add that!!!
I am TEXAN first......Then a American.....As if any one wanted to know??

Texas is a nation onto itself, right David? And I have rec'd a lot of email jokes to evidence it! ;-)

That hideous name 'Piggley Wiggley' was devised by the firm that did the marketing for Barnum and Baily Circus - no surprize there! The entire campaign was a landmark in advertising ingenuity that trickled down the road to car dealers and mattress stores - see it now?! The 1950's PW Store openings had subtle circus essence - flashy banners, free goodies: balloons, cotton candy, popcorn, brass band music, toy gifts for the kiddies. Mine was stuffed cotton doll of printed fabric that probably read 'made in Japan' on it somewhere.

But I wasn't around when this advertising was published.

This one's for you Caro.

My poor ancestors will be turning in their graves that I called myself English. I'm really Welsh with a clod of Cornish and a little Hampshire blood thrown in for good measure. So not much chance of me being a tall willowly blonde then is there?
Do you have a long line of Texan ancestors David?
Well Carolyn, I though Piggley Wiggley was bad enough but you are right Furrs sounds totally gross.

Cute pic Maggie. don't you love the way the guy's all dressed up to mow the yard. Like June Cleaver vacuuming in pearls. Have you Brits/Welsh ever seen the American sitcom from the 60's, Leave It To Beaver? If not....it was about a family and the wife was always immaculately dressed....neat shirtwaist dress, high heels, hair and makeup perfect, and a string of pearls....no matter what housework she was doing. I understand that it was one of the first sitcoms to be exported, and that was the image of American life that was desired to be portrayed to the world. I believe that's called,....now, what is that word........oh yes.......propaganda.

Final note. I loved that show! In fact, the boys were ready to kill me a few months ago when there was a Leave It To Beaver marathon, and I hogged the tv for hours.

And now the world watches us through 'Roseanne' reruns and the Jerry Springer Show. What a contrast!
Oh my gosh Terry & Nicola, I just saw 'The Royles' for the first time! LOVED it - Hysterical! Makes 'Married with Children' look tame.

In light of the Pandora discussions, I've decided that some of you may enjoy seeing this pic of my mulcher. Machine that is.

Oh yea, good pix of the mulcher. Thanks for sharing!

So that's why you need to cool off so much. :-)

Just supervising Terry.

Honest!

Call me if you need help supervising.

Well, this is my trusty mower that I use to cut my now internationally famous striped lawn!

At last, a shot of the internationally famous lawnmower! The border's not bad either.

Do you have one of those young short wearing helpers to push it Nicola, cause if you do he should be in shot, Maggie will tell you how to get them to pose. J

OK. Stand back! Here comes the "Monster Mower!"

If that was on my lawn I would only have to turn it on and off and my grass would be cut, and it would keep the dogs off the grass.

Whoooaaa Caro, you could drag the donkey behind that mower! Are your hands on the steering mechanism or is it one of the seat belt-traps as on 6 Flags rides? ;-)

Nicola, is there a roller under the lime green housing? Love the two-toned chassis - Bless it!

What is the yellow plant, dead-center of beautiful border, please? Not the little yellow blooming one - think that might be a santolina?

Yep, my hands are on the steering mechanism. That baby cuts mowing time in half, and is fun as well. Sometimes Robs takes it down to the road to get the mail, but shhhh! don't tell his dad.

Nice brush hog Carolyn....Nice border Nicola... Looks just like our Garden borders in Texas with NO RAIN for 50 Days........or maybe not.....

My thoughts exactly David, as I was wiping the drool off my screen... look Ma, big leaves and blooms next to a green lawn in August...
I'm taking my rant about this Mohave climate to the weather thread --- if I can find it ;-).

About the shorts clad machine operator Terry, here's a thought... Nicola could pose John wonky pushing her trusty mower - in shorts. And I still wanna meet your mower. Will I have to resort to E-stalking you about it ;-).. and it has the ulterior motive of having a look at another oasis of a healthy border for us heatstroke victims over here!

I wonder if I should use this opportunity to tell you that we had another thunderstorm last night, lots more rain and, unusually, it was at the end of a beautiful sunny day.

I want one Carolyn I want one, it looks fun. It would only take two minutes to mow my lawn with that. Actually, come to think of it the beast would probably sink under the turf without a trace down the wet end of my garden.
My little mower does have a roller at the back of the lighter green section, the main body/chassis? of the machine, which was made in the days when they still used metal, most are plastic now. Thankfully it is power driven so I don’t have to push it Terry, just walk along behind, and thanks – not – for putting the vision of John in shorts into my mind! Actually the vision of me in shorts is not too pleasant either.
The yellow plant is a fuchsia and the Santolina is S.virens.
Terry you beat me to it, I was going to tell that it's raining!!!

Nicola, The monster mower really is FUN!! And FAST!! Unless it rains though, I wont be needing it for awhile. I can't get over your border and lovely green grass. Wow! Beautiful!

Those who know I will do anything in the garden except use loud machinery with sharp blades, might be surprised to hear that I actually would loooove to take a spin on the beast! I think it would be more like a go-cart ride or tractor than a chore to mow! Carlos’ crew of men do our lawn, but one year I had the brilliant idea that I could mow every other week between the crew's mowings and bought a light electric mower. Now the silliest part of that escapade was that I kept pushing it back and forth around curved objects, like it was a vacuum cleaner. Never did seem to get it finished!

A friend who is on holiday in Montana sent this postcar which arrived this morning.

If you hate loud machinery Maggie then perhaps this mower would suit you.

Oh poo. Not only did I spell postcard wrong but I messed up the photo bit as well!
If at first you don't succeed......then skydiving is not for you.

You so make me cackle!!!

that's tooooo funny!

And it provides fertilizer, too.

Ok, since it fertilizes its future fuel... a perpetual motion machine? ;-)

If I ever get to Lancs again, this stop will be on the plan!
British Lawnmower Museum