Search - Articles

Consult Joe Swift's video guide to buying the right lawn mower for your garden lawn. Joe talks through the fors and againsts of different models, including push cylinder, electric, cylinder, petrol cylinder, an environmentally friendly ethanol

before you put your lawnmower into the shed for the winter, empty the petrol tank.Lawn care adviceVideo guide to choosing the best lawn mower for your gardenLaying turf, with advice from Monty Don and Chris BeardshawMonty Don gives advice on renovating a

Learn how to carry out basic lawn mower maintenance on a petrol lawn mower, with Monty's video demonstration, including how to remove grass debris, check oil levels, and check blade edges.all-year-roundMore lawn mower adviceAdvice on maintaining

as longer grass will stay greener in hot weather. For a traditional stripe finish, choose a mower fitted with a roller.Lawn mowerMarch - October30 minutesCheck the blade of your mower is set to the correct height - raising it a little at the start and end

walked on. Create a path or lay a series of stepping stones, to reduce the strain on the grass.Put in a pathSpace is precious in a small garden, so choose a lawn mower that packs away neatly. Look for handles that fold and collapsible collection boxes

Clean and sharpen knives and secateurs, and spray metal tools with oilPut up nesting boxes for birds in suitable trees or on buildingsMove shrubs growing in the wrong placeService petrol lawn mowersSearch through seed, bulb and nursery catalogues

Maintain a lawn mowerWith just a few regular checks you can get the most from your petrol mower and reduce the time it takes to maintain a beautiful lawn. Simply spend a couple of minutes every month looking over your mower to keep it in peak

Fix nesting boxes for birds to suitable trees around your gardenService petrol lawn mowers and power toolsKeep indoor azaleas well-watered with rainwaterMake fat cakes and hang them among roses to encourage bluetits to feed off overwintering pests

Spread a layer of manure or compost around roses and shrubsPrepare areas for laying new lawns in spring, digging over, weeding and enriching the soilBe on the look out for slugs and snails, which will attack emerging shoots of perennials

Dig out lawn weeds, such as daisies and dandelionsWatch out for greenfly and blackfly developing on shrubs, perennials and roses, and spray with a soft soap solution if infestations are badCollect hellebore seeds from ripe pods, and store