A neatly mowed lawn is the perfect foil for flower-filled borders. Here’s our guide to getting a striped finish, and how to mow around tricky corners and curves.
Start by mowing around the edge of the lawn. If you are using a wheeled rotary mower, be careful the wheels don’t fall off the lawn edge as the blades will gouge a ring out of the surface.
Working from the left-hand side, mow up and down the lawn until you reach the far side. On each turn, line up the mower so that each strip slightly overlaps the last.
Make sure you empty the clippings box regularly. A full box will result in grass being dropped back onto the lawn, and can occasionally clog the mower.
Tackling a circular or curved-edge lawn
Begin by mowing around the entire edge. Next, mow a single strip of lawn (up the longest length or in line with the house is usually best). This is your guideline and will help ensure that your stripes are straight. Now take each side separately and mow up and down until you reach the edges of the lawn. Any remaining awkward areas or curves should then be trimmed.
Corners
Tight corners can be tricky to mow. Avoid creating lawns with them, as you will need to carefully manoeuvre the mower into the corners to clip the grass. On some mowers, particularly cylinder types, you can lift off the collection box at the front of the machine to get the blades in closer. Remaining areas will need trimming with hand shears.
Timely tip
Never mow wet or frosty grass. Wait until later in the day when the lawn is dry or postpone mowing to another day.
Mowing techniques
For more information about which mower to use, height of cut and mowing problems click here