Strimmer happy partner!!

I’d do it myself if I was in your situation.

That’s men for you - got rid of mine, moved to a smaller house and garden and now have a sweet gardener to do my garden….problem sorted ??? no, not advising you to do what I did ?

CrazyH I did the same! It worked out very well in my case. ?

Put chicken wire around your young trees and, if necessary at the edges of borders where there are precious things growing.

Scythes gentle?! Hardly. It's pretty easy to accidentally damage stuff with a scythe too. I say that as one who has.

I didn't pick up from the OP whether the strimmer happy partner had to be asked and cajoled into helping with the hard stuff in the garden, but if not then I think it's a bit unreasonable to complain when he does something 'wrong'. It sounds as if he isn't really a gardener so his doing mowing is actually something to be thankful for.

I also put small 'flags' (a bit of colourful rag clove hitched around a stick) near plants I want to protect, sometimes a whole tripod of them. That works, I find.

Lauren I suspect your new man is a Landscape Gardener. Has he got a brother ? ?? I’m still looking ?

I find my scythe works perfectly, I've yet to cut away anything I'm taking care of, I always try and get the grass cut before he can but not always possible and I've said more times than I can remember to leave it and I would do it. All trees have small guards around and plants are labelled but not much can withstand a petrol strimmer with enthusiastic person holding it. He enjoys cutting the grass but does moan incessantly.

So you both moan..... ah well.

Baggs

So you both moan..... ah well.

??

JAM49 I have exactly the same problem! No matter how many times I point out what might get ‘accidentally’ strimmed something always ends up damaged. I would happily do it myself but I find it really difficult to change the battery on the strimmer. Someone needs to invent a mobile shield to protect plants - or does one already exist?

Baggs I don't feel I moan actually, I would prefer he left the garden rather than destroy plants I'm taking care of, I don't feel that is wrong? I have asked him repeatedly to leave jobs in the garden if he doesn't enjoy them so hardly moaning! Chatting on here about such things I thought would be appropriate and that maybe there would be others in a similar position or with word of wisdom

Deer eat my garden so I really do have the same problem as someone whose partner is a little over keen/careless with a strimmer. Chicken wire applied where needed will stop a strimmer from wrecking a plant just as it stops deer from eating it.

My husband can also be a bit meh with a mower so I get the problem. If your partner insists on strimming you need to change your tactics for plant protection. Good luck.

Get some of those long handled shears to neaten lawn edges and sabotage the strimmer. Has he also got a leaf blower? We had an old gardener who spent most off his time blowing anything around just so it looked like he was working. ( we got rid of him).

I cut the bottom off tall plant pots and sink them into the soil around clematis as protection, not from strimmers but from general raking and cutting back. Works really well.

I have a piece of drain pipe cut down the back so you can clip it on around the bottom of my apple trees.