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Recent Articles

Christmas Is Coming – Get Your Top Gardening Gifts Here

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Yup. It's here. It's December, it's cold, and even a grumpy Scrooge clone like me is starting to be able to hear the seasonal sounds of Slade, Wizzard and George Michael without scowling and kicking the radiogram whilst pointing out, at a loud volume to anyone who is listening, that 'Fairytale of New York' is…Continued

Dreaming Of Your Holidays? What About The Garden?

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Drew Hardy

Freelance Writer at Mowdirect
A keen allotmenteer with an interest in all things horticultural, Drew has a varied writing background with experience in a number of fields including garden machinery, lawn care and compost. His first experience with gardening was a cultivating a small plot he was given by his house master at school. He grew a decent crop of radishes and lettuce and sold them to a local shop, exhibiting his first, and last, sign of an entrepreneurial spark. Drew lives in North London with his wife, two children and a slightly bonkers cat
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Breaking news. It seems that scientists working on the Large Hadron Collider in Cerne, have initiated a microscopic shift in the earth’s rotation which has created a location-specific temporal anomaly whereby the whole world seems normal, except there is a Teletubby in charge of the USA, the UK’s weather has reverted to the summer of … Continued

Water Water Everywhere – But Mostly In The Tap. Looking After Your Garden In The Heat

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Drew Hardy

Freelance Writer at Mowdirect
A keen allotmenteer with an interest in all things horticultural, Drew has a varied writing background with experience in a number of fields including garden machinery, lawn care and compost. His first experience with gardening was a cultivating a small plot he was given by his house master at school. He grew a decent crop of radishes and lettuce and sold them to a local shop, exhibiting his first, and last, sign of an entrepreneurial spark. Drew lives in North London with his wife, two children and a slightly bonkers cat
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Yes. Wimbledon fortnight is here to fill in the gaps between huge football teams being knocked out of the World cup by minnows, and the strawberries and cream brigade are out in force in their Panamas, club ties and cool silks, sipping Pimms, wafting programmes in front of their faces and wondering what that curious … Continued

Clear up The Long Grass and Reclaim your Garden

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Drew Hardy

Freelance Writer at Mowdirect
A keen allotmenteer with an interest in all things horticultural, Drew has a varied writing background with experience in a number of fields including garden machinery, lawn care and compost. His first experience with gardening was a cultivating a small plot he was given by his house master at school. He grew a decent crop of radishes and lettuce and sold them to a local shop, exhibiting his first, and last, sign of an entrepreneurial spark. Drew lives in North London with his wife, two children and a slightly bonkers cat
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I was recently (over the weekend) at a very nice and comfortably lavish party in North London, held in the garden of my dear friends Gordon and Hermione.  This garden is surprisingly large for a sprawling metropolis where a slightly larger than average studio flat goes for the same price as a castle in Middlesborough … Continued

Safety Tips For Hedge Trimming and Pruning

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Drew Hardy

Freelance Writer at Mowdirect
A keen allotmenteer with an interest in all things horticultural, Drew has a varied writing background with experience in a number of fields including garden machinery, lawn care and compost. His first experience with gardening was a cultivating a small plot he was given by his house master at school. He grew a decent crop of radishes and lettuce and sold them to a local shop, exhibiting his first, and last, sign of an entrepreneurial spark. Drew lives in North London with his wife, two children and a slightly bonkers cat
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Now, as Michael Caine never actually said, ‘not a lot of people know this but hedges go back a long way.’ Some say the first hedges were grown or made to surround and fence off land on which cereal crops were being grown and date back to the Neolithic era, around five or six thousand … Continued

Toe The Line. Safe Usage of Your Brushcutter or Trimmer

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Drew Hardy

Freelance Writer at Mowdirect
A keen allotmenteer with an interest in all things horticultural, Drew has a varied writing background with experience in a number of fields including garden machinery, lawn care and compost. His first experience with gardening was a cultivating a small plot he was given by his house master at school. He grew a decent crop of radishes and lettuce and sold them to a local shop, exhibiting his first, and last, sign of an entrepreneurial spark. Drew lives in North London with his wife, two children and a slightly bonkers cat
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The sun has got his hat on, but, to be honest, he’d be much safer wearing a helmet, ear defenders and steel-toe-capped boots. Yesterday’s blog by my estimable colleague and multiple wine cork collector Dick Roberts deliberated on the qualities of some pretty tough, wheeled brushcutters. like the DR TR4 PRO-XL (left) But, as ever, … Continued

All Creatures Great & Small – Keep an Eye on Your Garden Wildlife and Save the Hedgehogs

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Holly Ashcroft

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Everybody knows I’m a sucker for little birdies,  fluffy bunnies, birds, bees, and small cuddly creatures of all kinds. Show me a kitten, I turn into a simpering child, hand me a baby chick, I turn into Joey Tribiani. So, watching out for our garden wildlife is a subject very close to my big, soft … Continued

How To Stripe Your Lawn – It’s Easier Than You Think

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Drew Hardy

Freelance Writer at Mowdirect
A keen allotmenteer with an interest in all things horticultural, Drew has a varied writing background with experience in a number of fields including garden machinery, lawn care and compost. His first experience with gardening was a cultivating a small plot he was given by his house master at school. He grew a decent crop of radishes and lettuce and sold them to a local shop, exhibiting his first, and last, sign of an entrepreneurial spark. Drew lives in North London with his wife, two children and a slightly bonkers cat
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What a weekend. In the FA Cup final, Chelsea managed to bore their way to a 1-0 win against the equally dreary Manchester Utd (dreary not being a word I thought I would ever use about them – well done José). This once glorious occasion that used to be watched by everyone, even people who … Continued

Sunshine After The Rain – Scarify Now And Enjoy Your Lawn

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Drew Hardy

Freelance Writer at Mowdirect
A keen allotmenteer with an interest in all things horticultural, Drew has a varied writing background with experience in a number of fields including garden machinery, lawn care and compost. His first experience with gardening was a cultivating a small plot he was given by his house master at school. He grew a decent crop of radishes and lettuce and sold them to a local shop, exhibiting his first, and last, sign of an entrepreneurial spark. Drew lives in North London with his wife, two children and a slightly bonkers cat
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Let’s go back. Way, way back to the nineties. A time when the Spice Girls were sticking their tongues out and telling us what they really, really wanted, when none of the ‘Friends’ had yet resorted to plastic surgery and bandannas were cool. (Editor’s Note:… Bandannas were NEVER cool Drew). Whatever. Back when homemade dance … Continued

Holes In The Lawn. Why They Can Be A Good Idea

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Holly Ashcroft

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Hello all. Well, you all know I am not discoursing on those horrendous holes made by moles or the studs of football boots or stupid golf holes or even big, burly men with beetroot tans and virulent yellow jackets digging up your property trying to find a leak that’s costing the water board an arm … Continued

Get Your Lawn Into Gear With Our Superstar Einhell Scarifier – National Gardening Week Approaches.

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Drew Hardy

Freelance Writer at Mowdirect
A keen allotmenteer with an interest in all things horticultural, Drew has a varied writing background with experience in a number of fields including garden machinery, lawn care and compost. His first experience with gardening was a cultivating a small plot he was given by his house master at school. He grew a decent crop of radishes and lettuce and sold them to a local shop, exhibiting his first, and last, sign of an entrepreneurial spark. Drew lives in North London with his wife, two children and a slightly bonkers cat
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The sun has decided to keep his hat out of its box for the moment, he’s been to visit, he’s popping backwards and forwards at the moment where I am,  hiding behind the clouds and then peeking out like a nosy neighbourhood watch person keeping an eye open for suspicious activity. This means, HOORAH, that … Continued