Kress is leading the charge towrds a greener future with its breakthrough battery powered innovation.
Petrol-powered lawn equipment is gradually becoming a thing of the past. For many gardeners it’s a matter of personal choice, and over the course of the past decade millions of homeowners have switched to battery-powered or manual gardening tools instead of petrol-powered ones. In some places, it’s becoming the law: in late 2021, lawmakers in California voted to phase out the sale of petrol-powered lawn equipment by 2024, making it the first state in the USA to do so; other states and countries are expected to follow suit. But while we all agree that it’s a good idea to reduce the pollution, noise and hassle associated with petrol-powered tools, is it possible to keep your garden beautiful and healthy without them?
Know your options
A generation ago, alternatives to petrol-fuelled lawn equipment included corded electric and manual tools. Both work well for compact spaces, but for larger gardens, more power and range are required.
When rechargeable battery-powered mowers, blowers, trimmers, and chainsaws arrived, they were seen by many as less powerful, more expensive versions of lightweight corded electric equipment. But battery tech improved rapidly, and today’s lithium-ion rechargeable battery-powered tools are an effective, cleaner, quieter alternative. Bypassing the ongoing costs of petrol and engine maintenance equalises the price difference in a single season.
Robotic lawn mowers
Taking it a step further, the introduction of robotic lawn mowers has heralded the next revolution in lawn care. These programmable smart devices use less power more efficiently. Much like Kress Mission Robot Mowers, they mow the lawn at
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And their horticultural experiments seem to prove that’s true.Its director, Ethan Kauffman, and I spoke about how he and his team are reinterpreting the grand old landscape with a natives-only ethos that was handed down to them by the nonprofit called Natural Lands that conserved the p
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones are based on the temperature conditions of the place. They range from zones 1a to 13b. Most of the United States comprises zone 3a, which has a low temperature of around -40 and -35 degrees (F), and zone 8a, with 10 to 15 degrees. Outdoor gardening is on hold as by December, most annual plants have finished their cycles and been taken up, and many perennials are dormant.
Hens and chicks plants make great low-maintenance options for dry, sunny gardens. And there are so many interesting cultivars available in a range of hues, from chocolate brown to green to bright orange and yellow. The common name may be confusing until you grow them yourself and realize it makes sense. One main rosette (mama hen) will eventually produce several offsets or babies (the chicks!). Though I’ve never heard them referred to by houseleeks, their other common name, the Latin name you’ll see on plant tags for these popular succulents is Sempervivum. They are members of the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae).
When referencing my front yard’s native grass and wildflower planting, I irreverently and affectionately call it my weed patch. I’ll address the irreverent part in a later blog.
Explore the world of DIY container water gardens and bring nature’s serenity into your home. With these creative ideas, you can transform everyday containers into peaceful aquatic oases, perfect for growing water-loving plants.
How can you not immediately fall in love with a plant called “American beautyberry”? It just makes the heart swell. Here, take a Kleenex.The emotive lexicon is well deserved.This large, deciduous shru
This article is part of our new 8-week, limited edition newsletter series, The Low-Water Gardening Guide, where we’ll walk you through what it takes to create a sustainable garden, from swapping in the appropriate plants to new irrigation methods to the tools you’ll need and more. Sign up here to get each installment straight to your inbox.
When we talk about native plants, we’re often referring to landscaping, but what about growing your own edible native plant garden? Native plants have adapted to where you live, after all, and unlike, say, your usual tomatoes and strawberries, native edibles have new flavors and scents to try. Meanwhile, planting edible native plants helps to forge a connection between the way we live now, and the way communities in the West have existed for thousands of years. “Just growing these plants is a way to tap into the continuum of time,” says Evan Meyer, the executive director of the Theodore Payne Foundation. “By growing edible plants, your garden can become a much more meaningful place.”
When I think of a plant hunter—as in, someone who goes to places like South Africa, Vietnam, China, and Nepal to find rare species and bring them back to the United States—I imagine a swashbuckling Indiana Jones type running through the mountains complete with hat and whip. And to hear famed plant collector, horticulturist, and botanist Daniel Hinkley tell it, there is a bit of daredevilry to the job. “I’ve had hard treks, bad knees, bee stings, and leeches hanging from my neck,” he says. “But if I am lucky, plant collecting offers me a bit of seed, and the resulting plant possesses all of the memories associated with it.”
We all know that as the Earth’s climate warms up, conserving water is important, and that the best way to do that is with natives and low-water plants. But one of the lovely benefits of native plants is that greenery suited to its particular climate looks like it belongs. “A low-water garden feels and looks right in much of the West,” says June Scott of June Scott Design in Los Angeles, California.
Columbine, or Aquilegia, is an intriguing member of the Ranunculaceae family with exquisite petals that give it an ephemeral quality, like a briefly glimpsed hummingbird.It is an herbaceous perennial that blooms from sp
After battling finicky allium, ramp, and delphinium seeds this year, I was thrilled when it was time to turn my eye to planting borage.Borage is one of those plants th