While families pray for hours of unbroken sunshine for summer barbecues and country strolls, gardeners would like a bit of rain now and then for the flowers and vegetables, and especially the lawn. With no immediate prospect of black clouds on the horizon, apart from political ones, rougher patches of vegetation seem to keep growing … Continued

Nothing shows off a well-maintained garden like a neatly-trimmed hedge and some are starting to look quite untidy. (You know who you are – Ed.) We always urge you to check there are no birds still raising their young before you start, but in many parts of the country, the young are fledged and flown. … Continued

Midsummer, the sun blazing down and the only part of the garden thriving is the odd patch you’d rather no-one see at the back of the lawn. If these patches are not trimmed they will grow into small jungles with thick gorse and bramble taking control. The only machine can clear these is a tough, … Continued

Depressing isn’t it? Already past the longest day so the evenings from now on will be shorter and all we have to look forward to is bitter winter snow and ice. But for now the sun blazes down on most of the country and while lawns don’t need trimming so often verges and rougher parts … Continued

Battery power has gone a long way in the last ten years or so and is starting to revolutionise garden machinery. It’s possible that in years to come the trip to the garage with a petrol can will become a thing of the past as technology improves – there is even a ride-on lawn tractor … Continued

Depending on where you are in the country, the grass is growing more slowly but still needs regular mowing. Would the same could be said for nettles and weeds, for these bane of every gardener’s life seem to thrive whatever the conditions. And if you have a small orchard or paddock they need trimming if … Continued

Time to trim the hedges of their Spring growth, for nothing shows off a garden large or small as well as a neat hedge or even a piece of elaborate topiary. But before trimming please check there are no nesting birds still sitting on their eggs of tending their young. Many young have now flown … Continued

Hedges have grown at a terrific speed lately and you can give them their first trim of the year after making sure there are no nesting birds. Hedge cutting is relatively simple these days with the huge range of trimmer available, but the tops always prove a problem. Teetering on top of a ladder while … Continued

Everyone likes a bargain and here are two great lawnmowers, exclusive to MowDirect to get your gardens ready for high summer. First is the Mowers MowMaster 43PD 3-in-1 Self-Propelled Petrol Lawnmower, made for small to medium-sized lawns with a 43cm cutting width. It lets you chose between collecting the cut grass – there is a 40-litre … Continued

Most gardeners don’t want a big mower made to deal with acres of grass. Most of us want a simple mower, easy to start and use which will give our lawns front and back a neat, cared-for appearance. So this week’s top ten will feature mowers made for lawns under 1000m2. All are from industry … Continued