Loving Nature's Garden

Today’s post is by guest Lisa who writes at Privilege.

Lawn mowers might be one of the most passionately discussed topics in the United States. First and second place may go to politics and religion, but try bringing up the subject of mowers at your next gathering. You may have to step back and let the sparks fly.

Some people love ride-on gas models. Sort of like the vintage car aficionados appreciation for the power of a ‘56 Thunderbird. Others argue for the minimalist push mower. But I tell you, in the pantheon of good design, there’s nothing, nothing, like a cordless electric lawn mower with a removable battery.

Pictured above is my battery powered lawn mower, poetically named the Black and Decker CM1936. I love it. I  bought my cordless lawn mower from Amazon.com, where folks give it great reviews. Impassioned, almost. The only other home goods I love as much as this mower are beautiful and impractical. I’m thinking granite counter-tops, slate tile, and antique Federalist hall mirrors.

Let me show you what it does. This is my lawn before mowing.

This is my lawn after cutting with my cordless lawn mower.

One might almost think that the sun came out and flowers bloomed as a result of my lawn grooming. I admit, that’s just an accident of Northern California morning fog.

So, should you be a sensible person who is only convinced by real data, herewith the Top Eleven Reasons To Buy A Cordless Electric Lawn Mower Like Mine.

1. There’s a recession on. Few of us have extra money to hire gardeners.
2. Gas mowers? There’s a limit to what the earth can sustain. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, emissions produced by gasoline powered motors are responsible for about 5 percent of the nation’s air pollution yearly.* The Department of the Interior’s Green Seal Program estimates that electric mowers emit 3,300 times fewer hydrocarbons, 5,000 times less carbon monoxide, one-fifth as much nitrogen oxide, and less than half the carbon dioxide as gas engines.**
3. Push mowers? There’s a limit to what aging bodies can do. I used to have a push mower. But I can’t push the darn thing up the little slope of my lawn any more.
4. This Black and Decker mower is on sale on Amazon for $398.54 down from $399. OK, so that’s not really a good reason. But compared to using a gardener, you can pay this purchase off in a matter of months. Compared to a gas mower, it might take a year.*** But it’ll be a nice year.
5. Electric mowers with cords may be even more environmentally sound, but you will find the cord to be So. Annoying. that you will never use yours. That’s truly environmentally unsound.
6. You can store the battery for this baby in the garage, plugged in, and then just carry it over to your mower when you’re ready to mow. Not too heavy, even for us midlife types.
7. The mower handle adjusts easily for comfort.
8. Stanley Black & Decker is a well-run American company with years of tradition on its side. I can’t guarantee that buying this lawn mower will help the US remain competitive, but you never know.
9. The wheel height adjusts easily so you can have exactly the lawn height you want. If that matters to you.
10. Electric mowers are quiet. Electric mowers do not smell bad. That’s two reasons for the price of one.
11. Because of reasons 5, 6, 8 & 9 you will mow your lawn more frequently, thereby ceasing to annoy your neighbors with unruly herbiage. Once I got a ticket for having weeds of a “downy and noxious habit” in my front lawn. No, I am not kidding.

I wish you all happy, quiet, environmentally-sound, economical-over-the-long-haul mowing. And the joy of owning something useful, aesthetically pleasing, and green.

*Via Garden Guides.
**Via Sea Coast Online.
***”Financially speaking, an electric mower makes common sense. They generally cost about half the price of a gas mower. Cordless models can run a bit more, but have an added advantage of no cord to watch over. The savings continue. An electric mower costs around $3 to $5 dollars to power for a year of use. Filling the gas tank just once on a traditional mower can easily cost that much. Over the expected lifetime of the mower, the savings become significant.” Via Helium.

Lisa writes the blog, Privilege, about style, some anxiety, the raptures of living and, sometimes, gardening. Visit Lisa’s most recent gardening post on cottage gardens.