Why I can't mow

   / Why I can't mow #1  

jinman

Rest in Peace
Joined
Feb 23, 2001
Messages
21,008
Location
Texas - Wise County - Sunset
Tractor
NHTC45D, NH LB75B, Ford Jubilee
Why I can\'t mow

My tractor is all lubed and full of diesel. My cutter blades are sharp and ready to go. It's a perfect day, sunny with cool breezes, and I CAN'T BRING MYSELF TO MOW!/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif My whole place is covered with gardens of flowers that look like mother nature has a horticultural experiment going on in my back yard. Every week I think the wildflowers are gonna' die and instead, up pops another showy stand of flowers./w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif Could you mow these down? See the attachement and another one in the next post.

JimI
 

Attachments

  • 35-49753-NaturesGarden.JPG
    35-49753-NaturesGarden.JPG
    120.2 KB · Views: 148
   / Why I can't mow #2  
Re: Why I can\'t mow

Hey, what's the purple stuff? Kinda looks like what we call Lupins, but about 4x the size.
 
   / Why I can't mow
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Re: Why I can\'t mow

SHF, the proper name for horsemint (lemon-mint) is monarda citriodora and it is definitely not a lupin. It produces an oil similar to citronella and if rubbed on your skin, it will repel ticks, fleas, and chiggers. It grows in huge patches with the flower heads being multiple whorls around the stem sometimes 6" to 8" tall. Another close cousin is spotted beebalm which is larger, but mostly white with only a tinge of purple. I have to admit I have real fun with these names. I think about the Muppets travelling through space to the planet Fleabane to rescue Princess Citriodora from the Beebalm people....

Okay, I never said I was "all there" don't you know?/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif


JimI
 
   / Why I can't mow #4  
Re: Why I can\'t mow

JimI,

Love your pictures Dude! Although these don't look like our "Vinegar Weed", they sound sort of like them. Our Vinegar Weed pops up in late summer, when everything else is pretty much gone because of the dryness. At first, I don't notice them because the flowers start out very small. However, when you walk through them you get a faint pleasant pine, or turpentine kind of a scent. I like them a lot. Will have to look up the botanical name now that you got me started... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Forced me to break out the Jepson. It's Trichostema lanceolatum.

We have another monarda out here. Ours is called monarda pectinata, but it's also called Bee Balm.

The GlueGuy
 
   / Why I can't mow
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Re: Why I can\'t mow

Hey GlueGuy, I love that name, Beebalm. We have the Spotted Beebalm which is Monarda punctata and it contains the antiseptic drug thymol. I bet all these plants have similar characteristics. They are really common, and as you say, they start very small and grow very rapidly. I suspect many people look at them without really "seeing" them. Once you really examine them, they are intricate and beautiful./w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif


JimI
 
   / Why I can't mow #6  
Re: Why I can\'t mow

I busted into a sneezing fit just looking at that picture. The last time I waited for the wild flower exposition to be over the resulting thick damp jungle nearly choked the tractor down when I finally got to mow it. Could have been because my cutter blades were about as sharp as the edge of a pencil (lengthwise). A Big pencil.

Alan L., TX
 
   / Why I can't mow #7  
Re: Why I can\'t mow

Nice!!

Looks like the picture could be sold as a post card. Some day I would like to have a wild flower patch like that. Your not going to mow it down, are you? If you do mow it, maybe leave a little patch standing.


Derek
18-29716-2120.gif
 
   / Why I can't mow
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Re: Why I can\'t mow

<font color=blue>I busted into a sneezing fit just looking at that picture.</font color=blue>

/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gifAhhhCHOO! I don't know what you mean, Alan./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
If you have a problem with the picture, don't take a drive on highway 380 between Denton and Decatur. (Sorry, non-TX readers; this is North Texas talk.) The fields there are spectacular this time of year, but not good for allergies. Take your medicine with you./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif


JimI
 
   / Why I can't mow
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Re: Why I can\'t mow

Thanks Rowski,

No, I won't mow the flowers (weeds?) down, even if I have to wait 'til September./w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

JimI
 
   / Why I can't mow #10  
Re: Why I can\'t mow

JimI,

Almost looks like I can pick out some coneflower. Not much, but maybe a couple of flowers. Is the horsemint growing wild, or are you seeding?

SHF
 
 
Top