Sometimes you just have to say something. This is the time for a Mass Horticultural Intervention. I have had enough, heard the denials, and seen the damage their behavior is doing. This addiction is not only destroying their souls, it is destroying your plants.

Oh, at first it is easy to dismiss as just an irritating sound, lasting fifteen minutes and then gone. A particularly noisome drone punctuated by staccato notes that tell you the lawn maintenance crew is in the neighborhood. They may even be at YOUR home. They may be likeable fellows who say “yes ma’am” or “yes sir.” They keep every speck of debris off of your hard surfaces or lawn. They are the janitors of your landscape, and possibly practitioners of morticulture.

They know that they have come close enough to your trees and shrubs when they hear the telltale rasp of the string thrashing against your struggling plants. They have not the vaguest idea that their cleanliness just killed your dogwood or boxwood. I have been to numerous homes in the last year whose owners were troubled by the awful appearance of their trees and shrubs. “Is it dying?” they ask me. Yes. In every case, the cause was Weedeater damage. The cambium of the plants had been destroyed, and will never grow back. It would be the equivalent of your being strangled and having your mouth tied shut and then having your friends wondering if you had been under a lot of stress lately, because you don’t look so good. Well, YEAH!

Please, please, please. If your yard crew has a “Help Wanted” sign on their truck tell them to stay clear of your property. If you see signs of damage on your property like in this photo, have a talk with them. There are too many custodians out there who haven’t a clue about horticulture who are vandalizing our properties and then sending us a bill for the service. 

I am sorry to sound judgmental, but it is not the time for subtlety. Next time we can talk about blowers…