15 minute read
SMART CHOICE
Lawn and order
If you want to put your best gardening foot forward this spring, check out these tools that can make your thumb a little greener. BY DAVID NOVAK
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JUST A SPRINKLE Even sprinkler systems are “smart” now. The Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller optimizes your in-ground irrigation system by autoadjusting to local weather and soil conditions, ensuring an ultra-healthy landscape while conserving water. $230. (844) 472-2446; rachio.com.
A CUT ABOVE No gas, no exhaust fumes and no lousy racket. Who doesn’t love an electric push mower for tidying up a lawn until it’s perfectly manicured? The Dewalt 2x20V MAX Brushless Electric Mower takes it up a notch with two batteries that work simultaneously to deliver smooth power to a 20-inch cutting deck. $400. (800) 433-9258; dewalt.com.
GONE WITH THE WIND Say goodbye to lawn debris for good. The Blue Ridge 40V 2.0Ah Cordless Turbine Blower chases away leaves, clippings and pine straw with a 420-cubic-feetper-minute blast of airflow. With adjustable speeds and a featherlight design, switching between driveway cleaning to gutter leaves is a breeze. $100. (833) 259-2583; blueridgetools.com.
ROBO-LAWN With the Robomow Royal RS622, you can scratch lawn maintenance off your list. This robotic lawn mower is designed for lots up to a half-acre, runs whisper-quiet, cuts to perfection and can be operated from your phone. $2,200. (844) 762-6669; usa.robomow.com.
SHARK BAIT The WORX 20V Power Share JawSaw cuts tree branches up to 4 inches in diameter and thins out dead wood from existing trees and bushes. Its shark-like steel teeth that surround the jaws hold wood in place while cutting, and the jaws guard the operator from potential contact with the teeth. $150. (855) 279-0505; worx.com. HEDGEHOG Do more than just trim your hedges. The Craftsman 4-Amp Hedge Trimmer features an innovative power saw on the tip, which coupled with a powerful motor, slices through 1.5-inch branches like butter. The 180-degree rotating handle provides comfortable cutting at any angle. $75. (888) 331-4569; craftsman.com.
Tech journalist David Novak is editor of GadgetGram.com. Prices and availability are subject to change. Inclusion in this column is not an endorsement by South Carolina Living or any S.C. electric cooperative.
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In PA, Mrs. M.R. Mitter wrote, “I’ve never watered it, only when I put the plugs in...Last summer we had it mowed 2 times...When everybody’s lawns here are brown from drought, ours stays as green as ever.” That’s how Amazoy Zoysia lawns cut water bills and mowing! Now read on! NO NEED TO DIG UP OLD GRASS Plant Amazoy your way in an old lawn or new ground. Set plugs into holes in the soil checkerboard style. Plugs spread to create a lush, thick lawn, driving out weeds and unwanted growth. Easy instructions included with every order. ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY No weeding means no costly chemicals. Since Amazoy Zoysia lawns naturally resist insects, you’ll save money, while helping to protect the environment. You’ll never have to expose your family and pets to the risk of weed killers and pesticide poisons. FOR SLOPES, PLAY AREAS, BARE SPOTS AND PARTIAL SHADE You can’t beat Amazoy Zoysia as the low-cost answer for hard-to-cover spots, play-worn areas, places that have partial shade and erosion on slopes. 1 2 3 4 IT STAYS GREEN IN SPITE OF HEAT AND DROUGHT “The hotter it gets, the better it grows!” Plug-in Zoysia thrives in blistering heat, yet it won’t winter-kill to 30° below zero. It just goes off its green color after killing frosts, and begins regaining its green color as temperatures in the spring are consistently warm. Thrives from partial shade to full sun. Plant it from plugs. Meyer Zoysia Grass was perfected by the U.S. Gov’t, released in cooperation with the U.S. Golf Association as a superior grass. CHOKES OUT CRABGRASS AND WEEDS ALL SUMMER Your established Amazoy Zoysia lawn grows so thick, it simply stops crabgrass and most summer weeds from germinating! NOW 3 WAYS TO START YOUR AMAZOY ZOYSIA LAWN! 1) Freestyle plugs come in uncut sheets containing a maximum of 150 - 1” plugs that can be planted up to 1 ft. apart. Freestyle plugs allow you to make each plug bigger and plant further apart – less cutting and planting – you decide. 2) New Super Plugs come precut into individual 3”x3” plugs ready-to-plant (minimum 1 per 4 sq. ft.). They arrive in easy to handle trays of 15 Super Plugs. Save more time and get your new lawn even faster! 3) Amazoy Approved Seed-As The Zoysia Specialists for 60+years, we fi nally have a Zoysia seed available that meets our standards and homeowners expectations. Learn why at zoysiafarms.com/mag or by phone at 410-756-2311. Mow your Zoysia lawn once a month – or less! It rewards you with weed-free beauty all summer long. 5 6 7 Ways Our Amazoy ™
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KEEPING IT green Fort Mill’s iconic Anne Springs Close Greenway holds urban sprawl at bay
STORY AND PHOTOS BY AMY TRAINUM
IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT ALMOST 25 YEARS AGO, someone had the foresight to preserve thousands of acres of land in Fort Mill to protect it from the urban sprawl that would start to encroach on the area from Charlotte decades later.
Hard to believe, that is, until you meet Anne Springs Close, the visionary namesake behind the 2,100-acre Anne Springs Close Greenway. “Development was eating up all the farmland and the forest between Charlotte and Fort Mill. Forests were being cut down and the fields were being paved over,” she says. “My dream was to save some of it, so that my children and grand children, and everybody else, would have a place where they could experience being in the woods.” Close, an ardent environmentalist, has led a fascinating life that’s taken her all over the world. It has included a seemingly endless list of extraordinary adventures, such as a ride on the Hindenburg (before its fateful last journey), car rying the Olympic torch in 1996, and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, not once, but three times.
Even now, at the age of 94, Close’s adventur ous spirit and profound love for nature are infectious. She beams when she talks about being outdoors, and about her childhood spent in these
—ANNE SPRINGS CLOSE
very forests, fields and lakes learning firsthand the positive impact nature can have on someone’s life.
Thanks to her determination, along with the help of her eight children who all donated inherited family land to create the park, Close’s vision of saving natural space in the fastgrowing Fort Mill area is a thriving reality. The park opened in 1995 with two main goals: preserving the natural habitat and making it accessible for people to enjoy.
The expansive nature preserve is almost two-and-a-half times the size of New York’s famous Central Park, and from the beginning, the Greenway has been thoughtfully designed to protect and maintain the natural surroundings, explains the Greenway’s director of communications and guest services, Elizabeth Bowers.
And, there are plenty of ways to enjoy it. The list of outdoor amenities and activities offered on the property is unmatched, making it easy to understand why it’s become a regional destination for people who want to disconnect from urban life and get outdoors.
“We provide an excuse for people to put their phones down and just enjoy being outside and not worrying about
the rest of the noise in their lives for a while,” Bowers says. Visitors can easily spend an entire day exploring the unspoiled land on the almost 40 miles of running and moun tain biking trails, or they can opt to navigate the property on horseback along the Greenway’s 12 miles of equestrian trails. Each of these well-worn trails leads to points of interest like the beloved swinging bridge, historic cabins that date back to the 1800s, and the 28-acre Lake Haigler, where anglers can cast lines with only the ambient sounds of frogs croaking and the wind rustling through the reeds in the background. This sort of peaceful stillness —a rarity nowadays with the constant construction in the area —can be found almost anywhere on the Greenway. And, it’s this peacefulness that brings visitors like Tega Cay resident Sue Hapner, who has been visiting the Greenway for more than a decade, back time and time again. u
GET THERE
Greenway Gateway
The Anne Springs Close Greenway Lake Haigler entrance is located off of the U.S. Hwy. 21 Bypass at 2573 Lake Haigler Drive in Fort Mill.
HOURS: Open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to sunset. The Greenway is closed on Christmas Day. n The Greenway Gateway is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. n The Gateway Canteen is open Monday through Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
ADMISSION: $5 for non-members; free for children under the age of four; free for members. Yearly memberships are $49 for individuals and $99 for families. DETAILS: For more information, visit ascgreenway.org or call (803) 547-4575. MORE INFO: Along with the many outdoor amenities, the preserve also hosts a myriad of organized recreational activities that range from yoga classes and guided hikes to an introduction to kayaking class and biking clinics. The Greenway’s annual events are also a big draw, and include an Earth Day Celebration, Fall Frolic and summer concert series.
The Gateway Canteen, an airy cafe in the Greenway Gateway visitors center, makes almost everything in-house using locally sourced ingredients.
“It’s a treasure that offers a getting-back-to-nature feel and calmness in life,” Hapner says while taking a break from a hike along one of the trails that’s shaded by a thick tree canopy.
Many journeys through the park now begin at Greenway Gateway, a 6,300-square-foot visitors center that serves as a sort of front door to the property. Guests can get acclimated with the property, ask questions, and discover all the Greenway has to offer through interactive map displays, explains John Gordon, the executive director of the Greenway.
“We’ve found that 2,100 acres can be kind of intimidat ing for people. So, they want a little bit of hand-holding at the beginning, and this allows us to do that,” he says.
Along with the interactive maps and a small retail space, the center is also home to the Gateway Canteen, a cafe that makes almost everything in-house using locally sourced ingre dients. The menu features a variety of items ranging from coffee, wine, and local craft brews to Cuban sandwiches and lettuce wraps. There are also several menu options targeting kids, including hot dogs and grilled cheese. The cafe is open daily, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, giving visitors even more of a reason to spend time at the Greenway.
Close frequently can be found walking along the Greenway’s hiking trails or grabbing a bite to eat at the canteen, and while you can tell she’s extremely proud of what the prop erty has become, she’s too humble to accept the doting compliments from visitors who make a point to approach her and thank her for providing such a unique destination.
OFFICIAL RULES: ALL PRIZES GUARANTEED TO BE AWARDED AS OFFERED. NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. ALL GIVEAWAYS ARE VOID IN THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC AND RESIDENTS OF THAT PROVINCE ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO ENTER OR WIN. Contest Officials will take a special early look for a matching winning number in just a few weeks. A prize of $7,000.00 A-Week-For-Life will be paid to the winner of Giveaway No. 16000 if the timely returned winning entry for our April 30th Special Early Look SuperPrize Event comes from this promotion. If an eligible matching winning number is not returned, an alternate winner will receive a $1,000,000.00 prize. Award subject to verification of identity and eligibility. Winner must sign an Affidavit of Eligibility within 30 days or alternate winner will be selected. Principals and employees of PCH and their immediate families are not eligible. Board of Judges’ decisions are final. Bulk entries will not be accepted. Not responsible for lost or mutilated mail. Entry constitutes permission to use winner’s name and photograph in television commercials, in website promotions, and for other promotional purposes, unless prohibited by law. Subject to complete Official Rules available at website or mail address provided. Entry must be received by 4/3/20. Please visit www.pch.com to view our Privacy Policy and California Consumer Privacy Act Disclosures or to exercise your rights under that Act. You can also exercise your rights by calling 1-844-557-8505. SWEEPS FACTS: Giveaway No. 16000; End Date: 2/28/21; Est. Odds of Winning: 1 in 6,200,000,000. You Have Not Yet Won. All Entries Have the Same Chance of Winning. We don’t know who the winner is. Enter For Free. You don’t have to buy anything to enter. Enter As Often As You Like. You may submit additional entries by writing to the address provided. Each entry request must be mailed separately. Buying Won’t Help You Win. Your chances of winning are the same as someone who buys something.
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