Jules MacIntyre

As the autumn leaves turn a myriad of opulent browns, yellows and reds, it’s time to celebrate the ripening of fruits and native berries from our gardens and hedgerows, while taking joy in early mists and crisper mornings. The wonderful display of leaves that characterise a British autumn also bring the gardener more than one stint with a rake and broom to clear lawns, paths and driveways before they become soggy with a thick layer of decaying green matter. Here we take a timely exploration into not only the best ways to deal with clearing up your seasonal leaf fall, but how you can make the most of this natural cycle of decay to produce a rich mulch that will keep your plants protected over the winter months.

A brief history of the lawn mowers of yesterday, today and tomorrow  

Once only the provenance of the wealthy, the garden lawn emerged as a seventeenth century status symbol amongst wealthy landowners using local workers to keep the grass around their country houses cropped with scythes, the original tool for lawn cutting that we’ve proudly adopted as part of our Green Reaper logo. While a long way from the immaculate stripes of today’s well-tended suburban garden, it was the start of a trend that has become part of British vernacular, with mowing a weekly ritual of simple pleasure that is a welcome contrast to our sedentary, desk-bound lives. And while making this connection to a more pastoral existence seems timeless, the machines that we now use to mow our lawns have certainly developed over nearly two hundred years. Here we trace the fascinating history of the lawn mower, looking at not only how different types of mower came about but what the future holds with even more environmentally-friendly ways to keep your grass greener over the next decade.

Climate change gardening made easy for today’s more challenging weather  

Hotter, wetter and stormier. We all know that climate change weather is already upon us with summers that are positively Mediterranean in temperature and winters that feature daily rainfall amounts more than usual in a month. While we all do our best to reduce our carbon footprint, there can be little doubt that that some changes to our gardening habits are inevitable. So how exactly can we embrace the new normal in British weather and get creative with planning new and more diverse planting schemes?

Understanding your soil type can make successful gardening so much easier

Chalk, peat, clay, loam, sand or silt? Knowing your soil type is a one of the keys to garden health and should be a primary driver of your planting scheme. Choose the wrong plants for your soil type and you will literally be battling nature, making it hard work to keep them happy while often having to make the effort to add extra nutrients that are lacking in the natural composition of the soil.

Here we take a look at the four most common soil types in the United Kingdom, giving an overview of each and providing some useful tips on planting that will work in harmony with your soil plus how you can make the most of the earth you’ve been given, giving nature a helping hand. 

A useful guide to the best of nature’s screening for your garden

From as far back as Neolithic times, we have used hedges (‘haga’ in Old English) to enclose and protect our land, separate cattle from crops and act as a demarcation of ownership. Even today, hedges are not only a seminal emblem of the British countryside but have become a beloved part of our garden. Hedges frame borders and lawns beautifully, and in the case of front hedges, they also compliment the first view of the house and set the tone for what lies beyond. With hedges taking their time to get established and often costing a great deal to plant, choosing the right one becomes important. We’ve therefore taken a look at some key buying criteria, the kinds of hedge popular in the UK and their suitability for soil types and climate challenges.  

The eco-friendly guide to a lawn that you and nature will love

From Pimm’s on the lawn after a lazy Summer afternoon, to the hum of the mower and smell of freshly cut grass, there’s nothing like a lush green space as the centrepiece of your garden. These days though, we increasingly appreciate that good gardening is also about the husbandry of native insects and minimising our carbon footprint. So can we still define the ‘perfect’ lawn as neatly manicured stripes, reminiscent of a Wimbledon court, which often takes chemicals to maintain?  Lawn care has now entered a new era, and at The Green Reaper, we’ve got some easy and eco-friendly ways to keep your grass green in every sense of the word.

Why gardening is good for mind, body & soul