THE COASTAL GARDENER:

Late last month, a 57-year-old Milwaukee man was charged with shooting his lawnmower with a sawed-off shotgun. In the ensuing month, comments, some sympathetic to the man’s situation, have been pouring in.

According to police reports, Keith Walendowski had been drinking all morning. At about 9:30 a.m., he figured it was time to mow the lawn.

So he pulled out his 21-inch Lawn-Boy lawnmower and tried to start it — unsuccessfully.

Then he went back to the house, got his sawed-off shotgun and took out his frustrations on the machine.

After shooting the mower, he retired to his basement. He was subsequently arrested by police, who recovered the shotgun and shells.

When police arrived, an apparently inebriated Walendowski was quoted as saying, “I’ll tell you the truth, I got [angry] because my lawnmower wouldn’t start, so I got my shotgun and shot it.

“I can do that. It’s my lawnmower and my yard, so I can shoot it if I want,” Walendowski told police.

Apparently not.

Unimpressed with Walendowski’s defense, police charged him with felony possession of a short-barreled shotgun and a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct while armed.

If convicted, he could face up to six years and nine months in prison and an $11,000 fine, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Dick Wagner of Wagner’s Garden Mart, a lawnmower store not far from the crime scene, said shooting the mower didn’t help Walendowski’s odds of getting it started. Wagner said it was “unlikely” the Lawn-Boy could be repaired.

“Anything not factory-recommended would void the warranty,” he said.

A few comments from the peanut gallery:

Man in Connecticut: Well, that will teach that pesky lawnmower. I shot my car once when it ran out of gas — hasn’t happened since.

Alison in New Mexico: I tried kicking the bejeebers out of my lawnmower one day. I was so mad at that miserable thing.

After about the 20th kick I decided not to bust up my feet anymore and turned to go to the house and there stood four Jehovah witnesses. They said they’d come back another time. Told them I’d appreciate it!

Ross in Detroit: When he gets out of jail he can come over and shoot mine. I’ll provide the beer.

Unnamed: How much you want to bet he forgot to put gas in it?

Lazy guy: He just didn’t want to mow the lawn. Now he gets to sit in an air conditioned jail cell instead. Plus he got to shoot a lawnmower with a shotgun.

He’s not crazy, he’s brilliant!

Lawnmower Hunter: The problem is he shot it out of season. Of course I shoot my TV every time my favorite World Wrestling Entertainment guy doesn’t win.

Unnamed: I wish this guy would come take a look at my neighbor’s motorcycle.

Lawnmower Sympathizer: The lawnmower is currently in stable condition but was unavailable for comment.

ASK RON

QUESTION:

I have two very happy plants, a Gloriosa Lily and a Stephanotis. They have both bloomed and produced seed pods. I can’t find any information on how to propagate these seed pods. What is your suggestion?

Cheri

Sowers Middle School, Huntington Beach

ANSWER:

Gloriosa Lily (Rudbeckia) are easy to germinate. Use a good potting soil, just barely cover the seeds and keep moist. Germination should take about two weeks. For the Stephanotis, be sure to wait for the seedpod to ripen. When ripe, it will begin to turn yellow and shrivel just a bit. At this point, open the pod and extract the small seeds with their silky threads. Just barely cover these seeds with soil as well and put in a warm, dappled shade location. Keep them moist and they should germinate in about two weeks, but may take up to two months.

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail [email protected], or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.

RON VANDERHOFF is the nursery manager at Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar.