GARDENERS’ WORLD MAGAZINE GARDEN OF THE YEAR COMPETITION 2016 SPONSORED BY COBRA GARDEN

Who can enter:

The BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Garden of the Year competition 2016 is open to amateur gardeners who do not earn a living by designing or maintaining gardens for money. The gardens must be private gardens that may be open occasionally to the public for charities/fund-raising activities only, not as a profit-making activity for the benefit of the owner. The gardens must also be maintained by the owner with no more than one full-time helper or employee.

The competition will comprise of three categories: Small Space, Family Plot, Wildlife Garden. The winning gardens will be those that the judges and readers deem to best fulfil the criteria in the submitted category. You should submit your garden for one category only. Please choose the category most appropriate for your garden:

1) Small Space Only open to gardens up to the size of a tennis court (approximately 25m x 10m / 80ft x 30ft). You must demonstrate full and varied use of all the space, showing creativity and practicality throughout, and year-round interest.

2) Family Plot Open to any size of garden. You must demonstrate full and varied use of the whole space, and show in particular how the practicalities of your family life have been met by the garden’s design and execution.

3) Wildlife Garden Open to any size of garden. You must demonstrate the provision of a wide variety of wildlife habitats, with appeal beyond a single species, including relevant, year-round planting and feeding for named, specific wildlife

How to enter:

Follow this link for details of how to enter http://www.cobragarden.co.uk/GW_Comp.pdf

Complete the form for the category you wish to enter and submit it with up to 8 jpegs of your garden to the relevant email address. Image files submitted should be saved using the following information: – the category – surname – Image number For example, the first image should be saved as WildlifeJones1, the second image as WildlifeJones2, then WildlifeJones3, etc. The email subject line for your entry should include the category, surname and date you entered, e.g. WildlifeJones15Feb16. The total size of your entry form and images should not exceed 18MB.

The closing date for entries is 5pm on 27 June 2016.

Judging and selection process:

The BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine editorial team will create a long list of gardens for each of the 3 categories. From this list, a specialist judging panel will produce a shortlist (3 gardens from each category). If your garden is shortlisted you will receive a visit from the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine editorial team.

The final judging panel will select a winner in each of the 3 categories, plus an overall Judges’ Choice winner. The category winners and overall Judges’ Choice winner will be announced in October 2016 on gardenersworld.com and in the November 2016 issue of BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine.

The three category winners will be entered into the People’s Choice Award. The People’s Choice Award will be voted for online by visitors to gardenersworld.com during late October 2016. The People’s Choice winner will be announced on gardenersworld.com in November 2016 and in the December 2016 issue of BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine.

Judging panel:

The judging panel will be chaired by Lucy Hall, Editor of BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and will include expert judges from the world of gardening.

Prizes:

All shortlisted gardens will be professionally photographed, unless by prior
agreement or circumstances prevent this, and will appear in gardenersworld.com
and BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine.

The three category winners will each win £2,000 RRP-value of Cobra garden machinery
of their choice and a trophy.

The Judges’ Choice winner and People’s Choice winner will each win a further
£1,000 RRP-value of Cobra powered gardening equipment of their choice.
The six runners-up in the category shortlists will each win £250 RRP-value of Cobra
garden machinery of their choice.

Also, voters in the People’s Choice award will each be automatically entered into a
prize draw to win 1 of five prizes of £100 RRP-value of Cobra garden machinery of
their choice.

Click to view the full Cobra garden machinery range.

Get gardening and good luck!

SYD SCYTHE’S LOG SPLITTER GUIDE

There is an ever increasing demand for cheaper methods of heating the home over the last few years as the cost of oil and gas climbs higher and higher. This has increased the popularity of wood burners and open fires and, of course, burning logs is much more environmentally friendly so we can save the polar bears.

As a result the log splitter is becoming an essential machine for those households that have these installed in their homes.
Now it is all very well doing the macho thing with an axe to show off the bulging, gleaming muscles, but it’s not that safe, especially for those of us who are accident prone and would end up burying an axe in their foot!  So using a log splitter is the easy and safest option to split timber.

There is an array of machinery to choose from and the following should help you in making the correct choice for what you need for your circumstances and at the right price bracket. Most machines are mains electric but as they get more powerful and are asked to split heavier material, petrol engines are used to power the units. All machines, whether petrol or electric, have to be operated by both hands so that even idiots cannot get their fingers trapped between the ram and the timber. The way these machines work is that the timber is positioned on the machine between a V shaped metal plate and the ram, which is a moveable arm operated hydraulically so that when the machine is started, this arm moves along the bed of the splitter forcing the timber onto the V shaped plate and splits it. Most machines have this V shape but some have a multi-directional splitting ability (Multisplit), so you won’t have to split the log over and over again.

With some machines the ram is adjustable, which does save a lot of time, as it can be adjusted so that it doesn’t have to travel so far on the bed of the machine. Very handy if time is of the essence. All these little benefits are explained in the description of the log splitters, so please study the specifications carefully to make the right choice.

It is also better to burn logs once they have been split and weathered outside as burning wet timber is annoying and wasteful. To weather your logs they should be left outside exposed to the sun and wind for at least six months and not stacked in a big pile as you will not get the airflow that is needed to weather them. Stack carefully making sure that they are in sunlight and that the wind can blow through and remove the moisture from the timber. If it makes you feel better to cover the top of the stack, do it, but I personally don’t like chasing tarpaulins across the county that have blown off! Ideal time is to split and stack early spring so that it is ready for October time.

Mitox LS55 Horizontal Log Splitter

Horizontal bench machines

These are the cheapest option and are placed on the floor or up on a bench and all are electric machines varying from four to seven ton splitting capacity. The big disadvantage if you cannot place it on a bench is that you have to bend down all the time to place and remove your logs. A little back breaking especially if one is getting on in life! There are a lot of machines in this category with the Mitox, Forest Master, AL-KO and Lawnflite prominent.  As mentioned previously all machines have be operated by both hands, because if one lever is let go of the ram will stop moving. All these machines have transport wheels, some with larger ones, for ease of moving about and all are very powerful.

AL-KO KHS 5200L Horizontal Log Splitter

Horizontal machines on legs

These machines are built on a frame which provides the optimum working height so loading the logs would enable you to work at a height that is comfortable for your stature which therefore saves the bending down. They have more or less the same splitting capacity of the bench machines but are more user friendly because of the height you can work at. The outstanding machine here is the Al-ko KHS5200 which has won several awards over a period of time and is one of the best sellers in this category followed closely by the Mitox LS55X. Both are manufactured using heavy duty steel in the construction and are very easy to assemble and use.

Lawnflite LS80P Petrol Log Splitter

Vertical machines

These machines are self explanatory as they work in the vertical plane as opposed to the previously mentioned machines that are horizontal. The benefits of these units are that they can take much bigger logs that are perhaps too heavy to lift onto the horizontal machines. Splitting capacities are therefore much bigger going up to ten tons. Most of these have heavy duty electric motors, but some such as the Mitox and Lawnflite have petrol engines. Petrol engines obviously produce much more power and are very handy if you are working out of range of an electric power supply. Once again please check on the specifications to tailor the right machine for your application.

There is another category of vertical splitters and that is those that can be towed. Not on the road but behind a garden tractor or car, around a large garden or estate. They also can be used in either the vertical or horizontal position depending what is the most comfortable position to use and go up to a mind blowing 25 tons splitting capacity.

So in conclusion, machinery is much more efficient and safer than man power and there is a machine for everyone. But of course if you want to use the traditional method buy an axe, get blisters, headaches and work up a sweat!

 

 

COBRA – THE NEW POWER IN GARDENING

This year marks the launch of Cobra, the largest single range of domestic lawn mowers and powered garden equipment to be released in recent times.

The Cobra range consists of over 70 products which have been specifically designed to meet British lawn and garden conditions. The range is deliberately priced to provide a cost-effective yet hard working solution for UK gardeners without compromising on quality.

The Green Reaper is pleased to offer new Cobra petrol, electric and hand-push lawn mowers, plus a full range of other powered garden equipment including mini riders and lawn tractors, lawn scarifiers, brush cutters, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, cultivators, blower vacuums and a garden multi tool system.  Lawn rollers, spreaders, hand carts and sack trollies complete the range.

Cobra lawn mower line-up

As we are all only too aware, the UK has quite unique lawn conditions. But this is not a problem for Cobra mowers. They feature uniquely flexible height of cut adjustment with a larger than usual collection system. Cobra garden cultivators have powerful engines to cope with the wide range of soil conditions found in Britain.

Petrol power extends across Cobra garden maintenance tools with two options for chainsaws, cultivators and brush cutters. Cobra also offers a lighter weight range of electric tools including three electric chainsaws, a long reach pole pruner, hedge trimmers and two blower vacuums to help keep your garden under control.

The aim of the Cobra range is to make the customer’s choice easy. The market contains a bewildering range of options for products but Cobra hopes that by offering everything that gardeners need under one brand, the customer’s decision making process will be simplified.

2014 is set to be a big year for Cobra, with many models already in stock, and the rest arriving throughout the spring. In stock models can be delivered free of charge to most UK mainland addresses on a next working day service.

Checkout the Cobra brand – the most comprehensive range of garden machinery!

AWARD WINNING LAWN CARE FROM AL-KO

The AL-KO 523 VS Highline 4 in 1 variable speed petrol lawn mower has been awarded a prestigious Which? Best Buy award, making it the third AL-KO lawn mower to collect the honour.

The Which? independent test remarked:

“This Best Buy self-propelled petrol lawnmower is a top-of-the-range model and is excellent at cutting. It has some great features, such as variable drive speed and a large grass collector that fills really well. It’s expensive, but if you’ve got a large garden with an orchard or a small meadow it will make light work of keeping your grass under control. It makes mowing a pleasure and will leave you with a very smart lawn.”

Marketing Director Mark Rochford commented: “This award further proves the outstanding quality of the AL-KO product range, and adds to the numerous awards and recognitions, both national and international, that AL-KO products have received. With several Which? Best Buys, International Red-Dot Design awards and independent newspaper review wins including the Daily Telegraph, the AL-KO product range is renowned for its quality.”

The 523 VS Highline follows in the footsteps of the best-selling 520 BR Premium as a Which? Best Buy, and will be one of the featured products of AL-KO’s 2014 national advertising campaign.

The Green Reaper is offering the 523 VS Highline mower at a price of £589 including VAT and delivery.

WOOD SCULPTING TAKES SHAPE WITH STIHL CHAINSAWS FROM THE GREEN REAPER

Robert MacIntyre-Ure (left), Managing Director, The Green Reaper hands over chainsaw to Ashley Chamberlain, thiswood.co.uk

Professional chainsaw carvers turned to The Green Reaper when they urgently needed to source new chainsaws for their wood sculpting businesses. The chainsaws of choice were two Stihl MS201 Pro chainsaws, which were personally delivered by The Green Reaper‘s Managing Director, Bob MacIntyre, earlier this week.

Dan Wood, theartfulcarver.co.uk

Wood sculptors Ashley Chamberlain of This Wood and Dan Hunt of The Artful Carver have several years experience in the art of chainsaw carving and are based in Thame in the lead up to Christmas. Working in and around the Oxfordshire, Sussex, Gloucestershire and London areas, they create a broad range of carvings out of carefully selected, locally sourced wood. Bespoke scultpures include anything from animals, birds, figures and faces, abstract work as well as special commissions. Dan says “Sculpting in wood is an enjoyable organic process, where the grain, shape and qualities of the timber deeply influence the working dynamic making every sculpture unique.” The specialist tools of the trade required to complete the various stages of a piece are a blocking out saw, shaping saw and detailing saw.

The Stihl MS201 chainsaw was the is ideal choice with its lightweight and compact design and high cutting performance. It also benefits from noticeably lower vibrations, 20% improved fuel consumption and 70% fewer exhaust emissions compared to previous Stihl two-stroke engines without the 2-mix technology.  Aside from this specialist use, the Stihl MS201 chainsaw is designed for use in agricultiure, forestry, gardening and landscaping operations and is suitable for harvesting thin wood, limbing and tending young stands.

Stihl MS201 pro chainsaw

NOVEMBER LAWN CARE GUIDE

If you haven’t already done it already, now is probably the time to mow your lawn one last time this year before you store your lawn mower or lawn tractor away for the winter.

Don’t forget that an annual service is crucial to keep your lawn mower in good working order.  Always follow the operating and service instructions provided with the machine. A few regular steps will ensure top performance through many seasons of use:-

• Always disconnect the power or spark plug lead before working on a mower so the mower can’t start unexpectedly
• Check the oil level regularly and use recommended fuel and lubricants
• Check the air filter regularly and replace it when it becomes grimy
• Regularly check that the wheels move freely and tighten any bolts if they have become loose. Don’t lubricate wheels with oil as it attracts dust
• To work on the underside of your lawn mower, tip it on its side, keeping the air filter facing upwards to stop oil or dirt pouring into it
• Remove grass residues built up under the mower. Use a plastic or wooden spatula to clean under then deck, then wash with a brush and water. Never spray water on engine components
• For top performance, check and sharpen blades every 25 working hours
• Replace cracked or notched blades immediately
• Don’t neglect the mower’s grass bag – a little care will keep it in good condition. Brush or wash off any grass or leaves and hang it up to dry until it’s needed again
• When it comes to over-winter storage, make the mower as compact as possible by folding down the handles
• Don’t forget, fuel can go stale over time so it’s a good idea to empty the petrol tank before storing your mower away

Agri-Fab SmartSWEEP 44″ Tow-Behind Lawn Sweeper

Recovery Organic Lawn Fertiliser

If you have a garden large enough to warrant owning a lawn tractor, your machine can be turned into a year-round workhorse when used in conjuction with a variety of towed lawn care attachments.  Towed sweepers, collectors and leaf blowers quickly and easily take on the task of clearing fallen leaves, debris and even pine cones from your lawn. A garden trailer will make light work of hauling heavy loads around your property.  If the weather continues to be mild a tow-behind spreader is ideal to applying lawn fertiliser, but will double up to distribute salt or ice melt to clear snow and ice fast.

As the grass is about to be subjected to a stressful few months when it is cold, wet and freezing, there is no reason why you can’t give it a boost now and then to help it on its way towards the spring. Viano’s organic lawn fertilisers are perfect this time of year to deal with a number of problems.  If your lawn is under stress through drought or hard play, then we recommend Recovery lawn fertiliser.  An acid lawn with thatch in need of greening up will benefit from an application of Recovery or Bio Lime in November. If the lawn is not too wet or hard, it will undoubtedly benefit from slitting to aid drainage; a push or towed lawn aerator will slice into the soil to allow seed, fertiliser, water, air, light and nutrients to reach the grass roots. As a finishing touch, why not trim up edges to make your lawn look neat and tidy until next spring.

NEW VALUE FOR MONEY GARDEN EQUIPMENT RANGE MEANS YOU CAN DO WITH A TONDU

Tondu’s new range of garden equipment offers gardeners quality and affordability.

Tondu TMT 25-5 Multi Tool

First up, and flying out of The Green Reaper warehouse, is the Tondu TMT 25-5 Multi Tool. This five-in-one package allows you to do just about every cutting and trimming job in the garden with just one tool. The 25.4cc engine unit powers the brush cutter, grass trimmer, long reach hedge trimmer and pole pruner attachments, with an extension pole to give even greater reach. Priced at just £187 including VAT and delivery, this is a quality, value for money multi tool system.

Tondu HWTL Wheeled Trimmer

Another best seller is the Tondu HTWL wheeled trimmer which will wade through the roughest overgrown areas. It is equipped with a 5.5hp Loncin engine and features a 22″ wide cutting path. When the going gets tough, the Tondu HTWL has the muscle to mow stubborn weeds and is competitively priced at £323 including VAT and delivery.

Tondu 57kg Push Lawn Spreader

You’ll get large lawns and areas of rough grass covered in no time with Tondu’s hand-propelled lawn spreader. With a 57kg capacity and corrosion-resistant poly hopper, it will spread seed and fertiliser in spring and autumn. Come winter, it will prove its worth spreading salt and ice melt material. All this delivered to your door for £129.00.

If you are lucky enough to have a larger garden, Tondu has introduced a range of towed attachments to turn your lawn tractor into a year-round work horse.

Tondu 500lb Dump Cart

The Tondu 500lb Steel Dump Cart at £139.00 is the perfect companion for transporting dirt, gravel and sand. The removable tailgate aids the loading and unloading of heavy objects, whilst the fold-down detatchable sides mean this dump cart doubles up as a flat-bed trailer. Pneumatic, grip-tread tyres ensure a smooth ride over uneven ground.

Tondu 650lb T-Handle Push/Pull Poly Cart

Tondu’s multi-purpose 650lb poly cart functions both as a tow-behind trailer for lawn tractors and as a push-along wheeled cart, making it a versatile accessory for transporting jobs around the garden. Dumping is made easy thanks to the foot pedal release mechanism. Sensibly priced at £139.00.

Tondu 40″ Tine Towed Dethatcher

Removing thatch, moss and twigs from your lawn is an essential part of lawn maintenance. The Tondu 40″ Tine Towed Dethatcher will remove this detritus from your turf, allowing important nutrients such as water and sunlight to nourish the grass roots and promote a lush, green healthy lawn. Our price £75.00 including VAT and delivery.

Tondu 38″ Towed Lawn Sweeper

Last, but by no means least, make light of clearing up leaves and other garden debris on both lawns and hard surfaces with the Tondu Towed Lawn Sweeper. The 38″ working width will ensure a fast work rate and the 10″ brush diameter will do a first rate job first time round with just about any clearing task. We think £159.00 is a small price to pay for a tidy property the easy way!

All Tondu’s trailed attachments are fitted with a universal hitch pin and compatible with all makes of lawn tractor and ride-on mower.

So why not take a look at the full range of Tondu garden equipment. Delivery is free and if ordered before 2pm Monday to Friday can be despatched on a next working day service!

You can order online or call us for free on 0800 014 8700.

YOU CAN DO WITH A TONDU!

AL-KO ROBOT MOWER VOTED BEST FOR MEDIUM GARDENS BY THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

The AL-KO Robolinho 3000 has been voted test winner and best for medium gardens in the Gardening Supplement of The Daily Telegraph, published on Saturday 30th March.

If you have more important or enjoyable things to do than mowing the lawn, then you should seriously consider the AL-KO Robolinho© 3000. The Robolinho© 3000 is the new, fully automatic robotic lawn mower which works quietly, safely and gently in the background without you needing to lift a finger.

German-engineered and made in Austria from high-quality, durable plastic components, the Robolinho© 3000 is a showcase of AL-KO’s innovative design and quality workmanship, which combine to guarantee a long service life under any kind of weather.

The initial set up is very simple. All you need to do is select a site for the base station, lay the perimeter wire and programme the time you want the Robolinho© 3000 to start mowing. The mower will return to the base station independently if it starts to rain, needs recharging or you press the unique ‘home’ button.

Recommended for lawns around 1200 square metres, the AL-KO Robolinho© 3000 can handle slopes of up to 35º. It has a 30cm cutting width, and the height of cut is adjustable from 3cm to 6cm. AL-KO’s newly-developed DCS (Double Cut System) ensures a perfect cut, wherby the two blades finely cut the grass clippings which then fall back to your lawn as a valuable biological fertiliser.

The power behind the Robolinho© 3000 is the latest generation of rechargeable batteries in the form of a 2.9Ah 25.2 volt lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion batteries supply impressive power and are incredibly lightweight and exceptionally long-lasting. With a charge time of approximately 2 hours, the Robolinho© will cut for around 1½ to 2 hours before returning to its base station for recharging. As the battery has no memory effect, it will not self-discharge and can be recharged at any time.

Day or night, come rain or shine, the AL-KO Robolinho© 3000 is fully automatic and works around the clock and in any weather, even when you are not at home or away on holiday. It produces no exhaust, is whisper-quiet and detects and avoids obstacles in its path automatically. This new level of operational safety means that children and pets can happily play on the lawn while Robolinho© 3000 gets on with the mowing.

Lightweight at just 8kg, AL-KO’s fully automatic robotic lawn mower represents the future of lawn mowing and is also recommended for people suffering from allergies or with physical limitations.

Click to view AL-KO ROBOLINHO PHOTO GALLERY.

Like Us On Facebook to Win!

Win A Garden Master GMCS8 8 Litre Sprayer every week during November!

MITOX 4-IN-1 MULTI-TOOL RANGE IS PERFECT FOR GARDENING THROUGH THE SEASONS

The Mitox multi-tool range offers the perfect machine for all season garden maintenance, featuring four individual tools and powered by a full crank, high performance two-stroke engine.  Capable of multiple garden tasks, all Mitox multi-tools include a grass trimmer and brush cutter attachment, a pruning chainsaw and a long-reach hedge trimmer with articulating blades.  Both models feature a heavy duty quick release aluminium drive shaft coupling, enabling the attachments to be changed in seconds.

Mitox 271-MT Multi Tool 4-in-1 Kit

With two models in the range, the Mitox 271-MT represents fantastic value for money at £299.00 with optional 77.5cm or 1.5m extension shafts.  The 281-MT priced at £349.00 also includes a quick-fit 775mm extension shaft.  With the extension shaft fitted the reach of the pruning chainsaw or hedge trimmer increases to over 4 metres (12 feet).

Features include:

• Powerful 25.4cc two-stroke full crank engines for performance an reliability
• Easy starting thanks to prumer bulb and manual choke
• Large capacity fuel tank for prolonged use
• Ergonomic throttle cables
• Comfortable low vibration handles
• Quick release coupling changes attachments in seconds
• Duel reciprocating, double-sided hedge trimmer attachment – 40cm blades with 90 degree articulation on the 271-MT and 55cm blades with 220 degree articulation on the 281-MT
• 10″ pruning chainsaw attachment with adjustable automatic lubrication
• Grass trimmer attachment with auto bump-feed nylon head
• Three tooth 10″ diameter, 1.4mm thick grass blade
• 775mm quick-lock extension shaft (include 281-MT / optional 271-MT)

Mitox 281-MT Multi Tool 4-in-1 Kit + Extension Tube

Mitox Garden Machinery was introduced into the UK in 2005 and has since become one of the fastest growing garden machinery brands, earning popularity with home and landowners who recognise the outstanding quality and value that Mitox products deliver.  The Mitox range of garden machinery continues to grow and now includes a quality selection of grass trimmers, brush cutters, hedge trimmers, long reach hedge trimmers, multi-tools, pole pruners, blower/vacuums, and chainsaws. All Mitox products benefit from the latest technology in their design and manufacture, providing excellent ergonomics, outstanding performance, and efficiency. Engineered for durability, all Mitox products feature an extensive two year homeowner warranty as standard.  Mitox products aim to exceed customer expectations in providing reliable, ergonomic, value for money, powerful products, which continue to earn the Mitox brand an excellent reputation.

The Green Reaper also offers multi-tool systems from Echo, Efco, Flymo, Hitachi, Jonsered, Lawnflite, McCulloch, Ryobi, Sanli and Shindaiwa.