A little while back, Troy Bilt sent me their new TB57 Lithium Ion Battery Cordless String Trimmer to try out. That’s me, above, holding it gingerly and looking like I’m about to stroke its hair. What can I say? I’m not all that familiar with power equipment – I felt it best to approach with caution.

But before I get into my review, I wanted to reassure you that whenever I’m given something – whether it’s a book or a plant or a trimmer – I’m always honest about my experience with that product. I told the folks at Troy Bilt the same thing, and they were happy to hear it. They look for feedback and incorporate it into later models of their products. I like that.

So, without further ado, here’s what I liked about the trimmer (which, in my brain, will always be called a weed whacker):

* Unlike gas trimmers, this trimmer produces zero emissions. And unlike electric trimmers, there’s no cord.

* The rechargeable lithium ion battery really holds its charge – and the machine retains full power along with it. I’ve used it three times for between 10-30 minutes and it’ll still be good for another round. While I haven’t needed to recharge it yet, apparently that process takes just one hour.

*It’s convenient – there’s no cord to wind up or untangle, and no gas to refill. Just pick it up and go.

* At just 7lbs, it’s light for a weed whacker. It’s well balanced, which also helps.

This is almost the perfect trimmer for small space gardeners or those needing light-duty weed whacking done. It’s awesome for edging lawns, but save nastier tasks such as battling areas overgrown with hardcore weeds for a heavier-duty tool. Gas and electric trimmers still out-perform in terms of sheer power.

Now you’ll notice that I said *almost* the perfect trimmer. There are a couple of things I’d like to see changed with this model.

The first, something that seems to be universally annoying among weed whackers, is that the arm is too short, forcing me to have to stoop over to get at the weeds. Despite the fact that I literally look like a giant in this photo, I’m only 5′10 — tall for certain, but presumably guys are in the target market for this device, too. The arm could easily use another 6-8″.

My other comment on this product is that its efficiency could be improved with the addition of a double line, which seems like it’d be simple enough to add.

Fix those couple of things, Troy Bilt, and you’ll have created an ecologically sensitive, powerful little machine. Who knows? If I had a lawn, I’d probably buy one.

Posted by Andrea Bellamy at 10:48 pm | Permalink | Comments (4)

A couple weekends ago, we visited friends of ours in Sooke, a small community on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.

Sooke is known for a couple of things. For families and outdoorsy types, it’s all about the beaches and swimming at the Potholes, while the Sooke Harbour House is a must for the luxury travel set. Just guess which crowd I belong to.

Our friends, now married with a new baby, met years ago when they were both working at the Harbour House (he was the sommelier, she was a 14-year old bus girl – imagine!) so they were quite familiar with the luxury inn and its world-renowned restaurant. When they offered to take us there for a garden tour, we jumped at the chance.

Head gardener Byron Cook led us on a tour of the gardens, which overlook the ocean. The gardens completely surround the inn, providing a tranquil foreground to the backdrop of the Pacific. But the garden isn’t just there to admire from your private hot tub. It’s a working garden, supplying the restaurant, which focused on local food waaaay before it was hip (1979, to be precise).

The garden emphasizes herbs, salad greens, and edible flowers. Over 200 species of edible plants are grown on the grounds. One hundred percent of the gardens’ plants are edible, although not all of them are used regularly. (Take our native camas, for example. As Byron says, “it’s a survival food.”)

Although there are several raised beds, mainly devoted to the cultivation of salad greens, the majority of the garden is a mingling of herbs and flowers – a true edible landscape. Some of the flowers, such as borage or nasturtium, are quite familiar as edibles. Others, such as daylilies, were a surprise to me.

“Edible landscaping” has become quite the buzzword (buzz term?) over the last couple of years, but for all the talk, you never really see it done. Sooke Harbour House not only does it, but does it with style.

Sooke Harbour House: 1528 Whiffen Spit Rd, Sooke , BC, V9Z0T4, Tel: 250-642-3421, Toll Free: 800-889-9688. Garden tours daily at 10:30am.

Posted by Andrea Bellamy at 10:53 pm | Permalink | Comments (13)

A month or so ago, I asked readers to tell me why roses deserve a place in the modern garden. Under the (d)elusion that roses were finicky, spindly, high-maintenance wusses that didn’t belong in a  environmentally-conscious garden, I couldn’t imagine why on earth I’d plant one.

Then I heard from you. 71 of you – 69 of whom passionately defended the rose (the other two, well, they agreed with me!). There were so many great arguments. Several people called upon history and literature, saying that the rose is the “quintessential plant,” one that is necessary in a garden if it is to be truly called a garden. The practical among you told me, rightly so, that it’s all about finding the right variety. Some people actually argued – and I’m not at all convinced I agree! – that the appeal of roses is their difficulty (surely those are the varieties I’d want to avoid, being a somewhat “relaxed” gardener). Many of you reminded me of the scent of roses, truly a sweet perfume, and the romance it adds to a garden. And a few readers, knowing how to hit me where it counts – argued for the rose as an edible plant (I hadn’t considered that!).

But Nancy (commenter #10) said all of that and more, so I’m happy to award her with the grand prize – two tickets to the World Rose Festival, held in Vancouver from June 19-21, 2009, as well as $100 in rose shrubs from Select Roses. Congratulations, Nancy!

As a bonus, I’m able to offer a runner-up prize of two tickets to the event to Brian Cole (commenter #62), who had me feeling a bit sentimental with his entry. Any man who writes, “Roses remind me of the love of my life, my wife of nearly 50 years, whose beauty never fades” deserves a prize in my book! Enjoy the show, Brian!

Thanks to everyone who shared their love of roses. I must say, I’m actually convinced and looking forward to finding the right rose for my garden.

Posted by Andrea Bellamy at 10:02 pm | Permalink | Comments (6)