The clocks go back this weekend which is often the signal that gardens need to be ‘put to bed’ for the year.
And just as preparing flower beds and lawns in the Spring has a certain rhythm to the work, so have the Autumn tasks.
Hedges need to have a final trim to nip back the straggling growth, trees need to have overhanging branches lopped and this is also a good time for felling.
Always a sad task, but think of the firewood.
So to mark the start of darker evenings and dank, misty, days here are ten top pieces of equipment you’ll find useful in carrying out essential garden maintenance.
One of the most popular machines at the moment is this one, the Garden Pride 26LR-PR Professional Telescopic Pruner, a simple way to take down overhanging branches without teetering on a ladder.
It has an extending fibreglass shaft which keeps down the weight and is powered by a 26cc engine.
The chainsaw cutting head is automatically lubricated to make it a smooth-running machine and included in the price is a shoulder harness which makes it comfortable to use for longer periods.
It costs £299, £200 off the maker’s recommended price and nit has a three-year warranty. And we deliver it free the next working day.
As we said, this is time of year to fell trees and lop branches and a chainsaw is a really handy piece of autumnal gardening gear.
New and exclusive for this year is the Redback E216C Cordless Chainsaw (Tool Only) from a range of battery-powered machinery we helped to develop.
As it has no petrol engine this is much lighter than conventional chainsaws and therefore easier and safer for the amateur gardener to use.
It is also great value as the battery which needs to be bought separately along with the charger, can be used with other equipment in the range.
It has a 40cm cutting bar and a chain from industry leaders Oregan. The saw is fitted with a manual and an inertia chain brake.
It has automatic chain lubrication to ensure smooth running and a longer working life. With this machine either a 4Ah or a 6Ah battery is recommended.
Large switches make it easy to use in the winter when you’re probably wearing gloves.
It costs £179, £70 off the recommended price and we deliver it free the next working day with a three-year warranty.
Just because the night are drawing in doesn’t mean you can ignore the lawn. With milder winters grass grows throughout the year and if you can give it a light haircut when conditions allow it will grow even more vigorously and evenly when Spring arrives next year.
So if you are looking for a new mower as the old one has just given up the ghost have a look at this, the Mountfield HW531-PD 4-in-1 Self-Propelled Lawn Mower.
Fitted with a 160cc engine it has low emissions and high petrol consumption figures and lets you collect the clippings as well as discharge them at the side and back.
You can also mulch them by fitting the supplied mulch plug but keep this in the shed until next summer when lawns are drier.
The side-discharge facility is handy for cutting larger areas like orchards and small paddocks as the cut grass is laid out in rows making it easier to rake up if that is what is required.
The cutting width is 53cm meaning it can cut large areas quickly and with large drive wheels at the back it can handle roughers areas as well as sloping lawns.
There are six cutting heights and a steel plate at the front prevents scalping the turf.
It costs £369 compared with the recommended price of £449 and it ha a five-year warranty.
We deliver it free the next working day complete with a bottle of engine oil to get you mowing straight away.
In some ways, this is a similar machine with four options for dealing with the cut grass.
But the Einhell GC-PM 51/2 SHW-E 4 in 1 Hi Wheel Self-Propelled Petrol Lawn Mower has the advantage in that it is started just by turning a key – so no tugging on a starter cord.
And it has been designed so that the battery charges itself once the engine is started.
This has a 51cm cutting width an extra-large 70 litre grass box. And it is perfectly suited to rough longer grass as you can discharge to the back and side. There are six cutting heights.
From a leading German manufacturer it is powered by a 173cc engine.
And the handles have two positions which can be selected to suit the height of the person mowing.
This one costs £399.95 compared with the recommended price of £549.95, has a two-year warranty and is delivered free the next working day.
Now a great machine to keep you lawn healthy and vibrant.
The Einhell GE-SA 1335P Petrol Combi Scarifier / Aerator is a great value machine as it combines two rollers, one to tease out moss and weeds and dead grass and the other to leave small slits in the turf which allow moisture to penetrate.The rollers are easily changed
The scarifier roller has 26 steel spikes to pull out the rubbish and the aeration roller has 20 knives to cut through the surface.
If you have not scarified the lawn for a while don’t be surprised at the amount of debris left on the lawn. This is all the rubbish which prevented healthy growth and it will quickly grow again once cleared away.
It is powered by Einhell’s own 53.2cc engine which has a one -litre fuel tank. The plastic deck keeps down the weight.
New and exclusive for 2016, it costs £249.95, £150 off the recommended price, has a two year warranty and is delivered free the next working day.
Lawn and garden tractors are really useful at this time of year especially if you have a decent trailer to cart fertilizer and wood around and debris to the compost heap of bonfire.
And a good all-round machine is the Lawnflite 603 XT-S Lawn Tractor, Britain’s best seller.
With a 402cc engine it is an excellent collector of wet grass, just the ticket for these damp autumn days, as it has a fan yo blow the clippings into the collection box which is closely fitted to the main body of the tractor.
As we said a garden trailer extends the use of any lawn tractor and this one has a free one making it an even better buy.
The cutting width is 76 cm and it has cutting heights from 30mm to 95mm. And with a grass box which holds 200 litres, a tight turning circle and Transmatic transmission it is an ideal machine for autumn and winter especially as it is fitted with a pair of headlights.
It costs £1499 – and that includes the trailer – £200 off the recommended price and has a two-year warranty.
Standard delivery is free and within two to three working days, but for a small extra fee you can order as late as 3pm Friday and we can deliver it on Saturday, the following day.
Falling leaves are a real bugbear at the moment and first frost followed by a gale of wind will only make matter worse, a real problem if you have a large lawn and long drives to clear.
Chances are that if you are so blessed you will have a lawn tractor and this machine is a great device for keeping them safe and leaf free.
The SCH TS98 Heavy-Duty Leaf Sweeper has been designed so that both wheels drive the sweeping brushes meaning the wheels won’t scuff the surface. And it can clear large areas effectively and efficiently.
And the sweeping height can be adjusted so you can clear both hard surfaces, lawns and drives. And it has a 250-litre collector, ideal for large areas.
It has a large collection sheet with it and costs £949, a whopping £85 below the recommended price. Delivery is FREE and takes two to three working days.
American company Billy Goat manufacturers really efficient lawn and path vacuum cleaners – they are the machines you will often see on parks and supermarkets but also on larger estates where they are handy for clearing paths.
This one, the Billy Goat KV600 Estate Series Lawn Vacuum is ideal for areas around an acre and is on special offer at the moment.
This is lightweight and very simple to use and is one of the company’s best sellers and can gobble up any manner of debris including pine cones, glass bottles and tin cans. It achieves this thanks to a five-bladed steel impeller.
The height can be adjusted so it can work on any surface and you can buy an optional hose kit to get behind garden sheds and other restricted places.
The recommended price is £899.99 but we have it for sale for £819. Next working day delivery is free and it has as a one year warranty,
Now here’s a little machine
the Agri-Fab 26in Push Lawn and Leaf Sweeper (45-0218).
It is a simple yet really effective method of clearing leaves. Just push it along and the revolving wheels turn brushes which sweep leaves and other debris into the collector. The wheels adjust according to the surface of the thickness of the leaves.
Once full the collector can be emptied on to the compost heap.
And here’s a tip. If you don’t have a compost heap just pack the leaves in to a plastic bag and leave for at least a year. Then you will have leaf mould ideal for enriching the flower beds and vegetable gardens – and all for virtually no effort.
And what ever you do, don’t neglect the vegetable garden or allotment. For work now will pay dividends next Spring when the work starts in earnest.
Digging is no pleasant chore and this machine, the Einhell BG-MT 3360-LD is a great little tiller exclusive to use at MowDirect.
It has six steel cultivator blades to turn the soil ready for winter frosts to break it down further and is powered by a 169cc engine. It has enough power to break down many stubborn soils, is quiet in running and has been engineered in Germany to give a long life.
It also has a front transport wheel to make it easy to move around and a set of crop protection discs for tilling between the rows with damaging growing plants. You can also adjust the working depth.
The handlebars can be altered to suite the operator and it has a deadman’s handle to cut the engine should you lose control.
It costs £279.95, £220 off the recommended price and has a two-year warranty. And we deliver it FREE the next working day.
Please have a regular browse on our site to see the huge range of garden machinery we have available – MowDirect doesn’t just sell mowers after all.
And give us a ring on 020 3026 8712 if you would like out advice on any aspect of gardening machinery.
