Get the Mow How
With Laura Tobin
As the winter draws closer, the growing season comes to an end. It’s been a year of extremes... and that’s meant that we’ve had to give our gardens a little helping hand at times.
So with this year of unusual weather, what has that meant for gardens around the country?
Luckily for us, we’ve had TV Broadcast Meteorologist Laura Tobin and her weather expertise as our secret weapon over the gardening seasons. Today, she joins us once again for the fifth and final episode of ‘Get the Mow How’ – as we look at preparing our gardens for the months ahead, and that all important final cut.
In Episode Five, follow us to Oxford and take a virtual trip to the dreamy Waterperry Gardens. This huge estate is set across 80 acres, with 8 acres open to the public. Behind the doors at Waterperry you’ll find nurseries, ornamental gardens, apple orchards, and a fascinating history.
In 1932 Beatrix Havergal established her School of Horticulture for Ladies, which gives Waterperry its fame. Although she may no longer be around, her legacy lives on – and the gardeners at Waterperry have become custodians of that legacy.
How has Summer been this year?
For our final episode Laura meets with Rob Jacobs, who is the Horticultural Manager at Waterperry.
We ask Rob to make his prediction on the last cut of the year, and he’ll be talking all things lawns and landscaping as he and Laura reflect on the changing climate.
Rob has been looking after the 8 acre estate at Waterperry for over 40 years; and when it comes to the diverse range of trees, shrubs, and flowers, Rob and Head Gardener Pat work side by side to maintain the lush grounds and surroundings that visitors enjoy every day.
So, how have things been in the Oxfordshire countryside during 2021?
Rob reveals that with the weather changes we have seen, their gardening tasks and habits have had to adapt. At this time of year they would ordinarily be picking crates full of apples, but the late spring frost affected the crop so much that the majority of apples were ‘lost’.
According to experts, we should expect our winters to be “warmer and wetter, with fewer frosts and less snow”; this means we must also expect to adapt and change our habits. Laura explains that 5 degrees is the “magic number” when it comes to grass growing. Once the temperature dips below this level, growth will come to a halt. But what does that mean for our gardens? Rob tells us that the last time to mow is usually around the 2nd-3rd week of October, but if the weather stays warm and wet the grass will continue to grow beyond this, and we could potentially be mowing well into November.
As we are now in the middle of meteorological autumn, Laura and Rob talk about what to expect in the coming months.
With September having seen lots of dry and sunny weather, we can expect to see a decrease in sunshine, with stronger winds and more rain.
October is a time to watch the autumn colours develop, with a hint of all the glorious days to come. As winter approaches, we start to think about shaping our plants and gardens ready for next year, and this is also the perfect time to look after our grass ahead of the winter period.
Fortunately for Rob and his team, mowing is a chore they look forward to, with the help of the Honda HRD 536 QXE. “If you ever want to pick a mower, you pick a Honda”, from the easy pull cord to the 5 cutting heights, Rob tells Laura how this reliable piece of kit has made looking after Waterperry effortless.
If you ever want to pick a mower, you pick a Honda because of the way that engine starts. It is beautiful. You don’t even do a full pull on the start cord. It's a proper professional bit of kit, I just love it. and I love the fact that I don't have to keep running back to other people that can’t start the mower, because it’s so reliable."
With the vast array of hedges you’ll find at Waterperry, Rob tells us how Pat and the team keep those perfectly trimmed hedges in line, by cutting back new growth and maintaining their marvellous stature.
A firm favourite in keeping their hedges looking in shape, is the Honda Hedge Trimmer HH25D – its sharp blades are responsible for the clean crisp lines you’ll see around Waterperry gardens, if today’s episode has tempted you to hop in your car to take a visit.
We’ve been using the Honda hedgetrimmer which has a four stroke Engine. Two stroke engines have sort of got this clattery noise to them and also when you finish, you smell the oil that you’ve thrown out into the environment. With a four stroke, you’re not doing that, you don’t smell the fumes."
As October is finally here, we will see our days getting shorter and our nights getting cooler.
Our final episode ends with Laura and Rob looking ahead at the weather predictions for what’s left of the gardening season, and we ask Rob for his top tip on looking after your mower as we prepare for winter.
So the time has now come to wrap things up, as we’ve reached the end of our series for 2021.
We’re delighted to have visited some incredible and diverse English gardens across the country, and meet an array of gardening experts along the way.
We hope you’ve enjoyed following us through the year... and maybe learning a trick or two.
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