Lawn and border stars
IT’S LESS than a week until RHS Chelsea Flower Show (rhs.org.uk), which is guaranteed to renew enthusiasm for ornamental borders in the same way that theWimbledon Championships fill your local tennis courts. But if you’re planning to plant pot-grown trees and bushes you will need good equipment, and Wilkinson Sword’s Ultimate Digging Spade is a must-have.
Strong but lightweight, it has a rustresistant stainless steel head with a serrated edge for cracking through clay and its D-grip handle is ergonomically designed for comfort.
Another good upgrade, for those who need a new lawnmower, is Flymo’s new UltraStore range of cordless rotary lawnmowers, with handles that fold down for compact storage.
They have powerful Bosch batteries that can be used on other Flymo and Bosch cordless equipment, rollers for a striped lawn finish and indicator to tell you when the grass box is full.
Disposing of grass can be troublesome for people who like ultra-neat gardens but the smartest solution is to compost it. Hozelock has a new Easymix 2-in1 Composter made from 85 per cent recycled plastic that takes kitchen and garden waste and produces both compost and liquid plant food within six to eight weeks.
And if you’re finding slugs and snails a problem now that metaldehyde pellets are banned, try Miracle-Gro Nourish & Protect for Flowers, Fruit & Veg (lovethegarden.com).
It contains a slow-release feed in crushed volcanic lava rock, which you sprinkle around young plants to form a barrier that gastropods won’t cross.Amazingly, it works.