Choosing a Mower: Ask Yourself These Questions

Unless you want a wild, untamed landscape in your back garden – and good for you if you do – then you'll need a mower to keep your lawn neat and trimmed. Even if you've been mowing your grass for years, you might not be using the best one for the job, so follow these steps and choose the ideal model for your lawn.

How big is your lawn?

For smaller lawns, a compact, lightweight mower is ideal – perhaps even a manual one. You don't need a huge amount of power to get the job done to a high standard, and easy manoeuvrability will help you get into every corner.

With larger areas, you need to think about how quickly you can finish the task and how easily you can move the machine. Hover or rotary mowers are best, and look for one with adjustable handles so you can operate it comfortably. Go for a battery or petrol powered mower, as one with a mains cord might not reach where you need it to.

If you have a particularly big lawn, a ride-on mower is the best way to go unless you fancy long periods of hard work all summer.

Is the lawn flat?

Sloping yards can make mowing a really difficult task, so a small riding mower might be a good idea to take the strain out of it. If this is outside your budget or not practical, consider a hover mower to make movement easier.

Are there a lot of obstacles?

If you have an unusually-shaped lawn, with trees, furniture, plants and other obstacles to mow around, you need to have something nimble enough to handle all the twists and turns.

A hover mower is a good choice here, as it will help you get around anything in the way. Avoid self-propelled models, as they might cause unpleasant accidents and damaged property.

Alternatively, you could buy a small trimmer type of mower in addition to a larger one, just for finishing off the difficult bits of the garden.

What sort of finish do you want?

If you just want to keep the grass short and looking neat, you don't need to worry too much about this. Any mower will be able to achieve this with little effort.

To get that classic striped finish, you'll need to get a cylinder mower with a roller at the rear. These come in various different shapes and sizes, but they'll all get you that beautiful traditional look.

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