by Janice Duffin, Delaware County Master Gardener
As I lay musing this past Sunday morning, I noticed something was different. It had snowed lightly overnight and the sounds from outside were pleasantly muffled as a result, but the snow had done more: the leaf blowers were silent! For the last several weeks, they had run at full speed as if the operators were trying to clear the neighborhood of every last vestige of the past spring, summer, and fall. During the week, the hired landscapers were feverishly blowing piles of leaves into the street, but on weekends it was the weekend warriors at work. Homeowners armed with leaf blowers were blowing dirt, dust, and debris into the air with reckless abandon. Ah, but the first snow put them all to rest, at least for the moment. What a pleasant respite!
I understand the lure of the leaf blower. I admire the flower beds and borders that are swept clean of leaves and debris in no time without disturbing the mulch, and I understand the pleasure one might get from a yard that is swept entirely clean of leaves. Until, of course, the next gust of wind comes along. But what happened to the good old rake? Isn’t the swishing sound of raking leaves preferable to a leaf blower?
Let’s think about it. To use a leaf blower, one should wear hearing protection, eye protection and a mask to prevent respiratory problems. Doe the need for all this protection tell us something? You’d think it would at least offend our fashion sense.
Don’t misunderstand me: Of course you need to wear all that protection and you’d be a fool not to, but stop and think! Let’s take a look at our gardening practices and consider their impact on the environment and each other. You may decide that a rake is more enjoyable that a leaf blower.
Do you have a gardening question? In Delaware County, call our Master Gardeners hortline at 610-690-2671 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM-12 NOON.
UPCOMING MASTER GARDENERS EVENTS
January 12, 2008: Holiday Gifts & Houseplants
Learn how to care for and maintain your holiday gardening gifts and houseplants. Cost: $10
Registration required for all events. Please call 610-690-2655 for more information or visit our website
