Research confirms what gardeners have known all along: once a gardener, always a gardener.
“Although patterns shift, once someone starts gardening it becomes a lifelong passion,” says Bill Doeckel, general manager for one of Ball Horticultural Company’s Innovations Group, a new-product incubator.
Ongoing research helps Ball find out what gardeners are thinking. Some of the gardening trends Doeckel is seeing include an overall interest in the sustainable horticulture movement and a growing interest in drought-tolerant plants.
“I’m also seeing the trend toward using plants in a functional way,” he says. Instead of being grown just to beautify the landscape, plants are now being used for green roofs, bioswales and rain gardens. Gardeners are also planting more vegetables and using lots of heirloom plants.
Ball’s research shows that consumers are still learning about environmentally friendly gardening practices. Even though consumers aren’t demanding green products right now, Doeckel says he’s encouraged to see signs of change.
In response to the company’s research, Ball Innovations is working with Purdue University on a commercial horticultural growers initiative called Circle of Life. The program promotes sustainable plant production, from seed starting in compostable containers to using organically based fertilizers and natural pest and disease control.
Plastic is out; rice hulls are in
For the past eight years, Ball has tested different kinds of biodegradable pots to replace plastic containers for growing plants. Compostable pots can be made from rice hulls, bamboo, sustainable coconut fiber or other renewable resources. Ball has a line of rice hull containers for consumers and paper pots for landscapers.
Ecosource Home & Garden (ecosourceonline ) has a line of environmentally friendly containers made from grain husks. Planters and saucers for home use are designed to last about five years. When tossed on the compost pile, they decompose naturally into nutrient-rich organic matter.
This is the second gardening season Planted Earth Home and Garden Centers have sold Ecosource planters at its stores in Carbondale and Aspen.
Tammy Brenner says the planters are big sellers mainly because they’re more affordable than ceramic planters. “People like the affordability most of all. The fact they’re made from rice hulls doesn’t seem to be that important,” she says. A 6-inch Ecosource pot sells for around $4.
One of this season’s new plant introductions is the perfect fit for a compostable container. The Shock Wave petunia from PanAmerican seed is the latest addition to the Ride the Wave petunia series. The season-long spreading petunia is available in five colors and two mixes.
Handy hand tools
Many other companies onduct consumer research to develop or refine their products before taking them to market. Any new gardening tool needs to make gardening chores either faster or easier.
Any gardener who has accidentally chopped down a plant while hoeing will appreciate the circlehoe (circlehoe.com). This lightweight weeder and cultivator has a unique circular design that reduces root damage because the blade always cuts away from the base of the plant. The tool, which comes in short- and long-handled versions, makes quick work of weeding in hard-to-reach spots.
The circlehoe blade, left, is used in a pulling motion for added control. Circlehoe inventor Ralph Henningsen wanted to design an ergonomic garden hoe that could cut weeding time and reduce gardener’s aches and pains. It’s available at stores including McGuckin Hardware in Boulder and Jared’s Garden Center in Littleton.
The “last shovel you’ll ever buy” won a 2008 Green Thumb award for new gardening products from the Mailorder Gardening Association. The Kombi Forever Shovel, right, (millsmix.com) has a wedge shape and sharpened teeth. It’s available in two sizes and can be used for cultivating, weeding, edging, and moving plants and trees.
Clearing the air on mowing
Miles of lawns mean hours of mowing, and every hour a typical gasoline powered mower runs, it produces the same amount of smog as a car driving nearly 200 miles, according to the EPA.
A stat like that — combined with the rising price of gasoline — is enough to make homeowners think about alternative sources of energy for mowing.
One option is produced by Sunlawn Inc., () a company that’s definitely in the business of pushing green lawns.
Sunlawn, based in Fort Collins, manufactures and distributes a line of push-reel mowers, one of the fastest growing markets for walk-behind mowers in the U.S., says Terry Jarvis, chief operating officer.
Jarvis says using a push-reel mower makes lawn care fun again. “It’s like walking on a treadmill, but you actually get something done.”
Fans of push-reel mowers say without the gasoline smell, noise and safety concerns, mowing becomes more like gardening and less of a chore. “We’re dedicated to making the easiest push-reel mowers available and the lowest-maintenance mowers anywhere,” Jarvis says.
Sunlawn mowers are available at most Ace and True Value hardware stores or they can be ordered from the company’s website. Sunlawn also has a new rechargeable electric mower that will be available on a limited basis this year.
Neuton Power Equipment (neutonmowers.com) offers a line of cordless electric mowers. The mowers are powered by rechargeable batteries that cost about 10 cents to recharge.
Because the mowers are quiet and non-polluting, the Neuton was chosen by California’s Air Quality Management District for its “Mow Down Air Pollution Campaign,” according to Neuton’s website.
To handle most of the remaining yard care tasks, gardeners can turn to the Mantis E-System (mantis.com). This electric tool is another Green Thumb- award winner. It has one power head and four attachments for trimming, pruning, edging and shaping. The extended-reach pruner is over 7 feet long for trimming tall trees.
Blade stunner: Swap to green mower, get a discount
Feel like cutting the amount of pollution that results from keeping your lawn in shape? The metro Regional Air Quality Council will make the process a little easier on the pocketbook with its Mow Down Pollution campaign, which launches during Earth Week, April 20-26.
Details are still developing, but the nut of the campaign is swapping gas-powered mowers for a deal on a cleaner machine. All Colorado residents are eligible to participate in a virtual swap — details at . Weld County residents can bring their old machines (drained of fuel, please!) to the Historic Union Pacific Depot, 902 Seventh Ave., Greeley, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. April 25-26, and swap them for a discount on one of 300 Neuton power mowers, above. “Switching to an electric mower will go a long way toward helping clean up the air in your neighborhood, and the metro area,” says air-quality council spokesman Trevor Noel.
Info: 303-629-5450, ext. 210.
Starting small
It’s never too early to begin cultivating the next generation of lifelong gardeners. Cindy Krezel’s new book, “101 Kid Friendly Plants: Fun Plants and Family Garden Projects,” is one part plant education and 17 parts family fun.
The author is an experienced children’s gardener and her book includes over a dozen projects for families. From creating butterfly gardens to hideaway gardens, each project is aimed at growing the newest crop of passionate gardeners.
Garden writer Jodi Torpey is the author of “The Colorado Gardener’s Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening in the Centennial State.”
