Sharing know-how about UK gardening

Don't make the mistake of thinking that cylinder mowers are only for cutting fine grass, twice a week.

Modern cylinder mowers are much more versatile than their predecessors. We've used our push-along side-wheel Qualcast Panther on long and short grass, on slopes and on the level, with and without its rear grassbox, although the lack of a large rear roller does make mowing up to lawn's edge tricky. We've developed the technique of pushing the mower along the lawn edge with one wheel just off the ground, pressing down more heavily on the other side to make the blades turn.

Most of Qualcast's small electric mowers have side wheels instead of a front roller, so that patches of faster growing grass are not flattened ahead of the blades but trimmed as neatly as the rest of the lawn. And their rear roller enables mowing up to the lawn's edge. The bigger machines in Atco's and Qualcast's range also have optional side wheels to fit when necessary and the top Atco range have combs to raise roller-flattened grass to meet the blades.

Making you feel tired? Then sit down when you mow. The Atco Royale cylinder mower has an optional trailing seat, cleverly designed to follow the path of the mower instead of cutting corners, so that you don't wreck flowerbeds or get towed into trees.