READER’S QUESTION

Watching Wimbledon, i was impressed by the pale and dark stripes on the freshly mown courts. My grandfather always had stripes on his lawn but i don’t. What’s the secret?

Mr G. Weldon, Bucks. TheRe’s no secret — all you need is the right kind of mower.

To achieve stripes, the mower must have a roller at the rear, rather than wheels. This can be either smooth- surfaced — as in some hand mowers — or ribbed for better grip if it’s a powered mower.

The roller pushes the grass blades in one direction, making them look pale when pointing away from the viewer, and dark from the opposite side.

Traditional cylinder mowers may cut more cleanly than those with rotary blades, but a quality rotary mower with sharp, undamaged blades cuts cleanly enough even for lawn perfectionists.

And if it has a rear roller, rather than wheels, it will make enviable stripes.