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Every job’s cut down to size with Freedom48

Whether you’re trimming high hedges, battling brambles, mowing lawns or clearing paths the Mountfield Freedom48 range of garden tools make light work of it all. Quiet, and vibration free, just one 48-volt battery fits a versatile range of 9 tools, giving you the power of petrol with the clean convenience of cordless, right across the garden. Take control in your garden, reach for Freedom48.

The power of petrol The convenience of cordless

Lawnmower Grass Trimmer Brushcutter Blower Vac Hedge Trimmer Pole Pruner & Hedge Trimmer Hedge Trimmer Chainsaw Tiller

From £99 excluding battery and charger, find out more at mountfieldlawnmowers.co.uk or call 0800 669 6325

‘Please take care in the garden’

Grenville Sheringham says gardening injuries - from falling off ladders to accidents with power tools makes it vital to keep concentrating when gardening

One of the great pleasures of gardening is being able to relax and unwind, enjoying the fresh air and exercise. But it is easy to drop one’s guard and have a silly accident, as I recently had the occasion to remind myself. I have used mechanical hedgetrimmers hundreds of times over the years, and never had the slightest worry about using them. Why, then, did I casually let go of the trimmer, catching the little fi nger of my left hand on the blade and making a nasty mess of it? (I hasten to assure the reader that I still have my fi nger, and thankfully no permanent damage has resulted). Looking back I can only put it down to momentary loss of concentration, but it served to remind me how dangerous not only power tools, but almost every tool we use in the garden can be if we don’t take care. Even a simple tool like a bow saw can cause a serious accident, as I discovered many years ago when working in a garden cutting the top growth from an overgrown hedge. As the owner had a toddler, I warned her that I would be using sharp tools and suggested she kept him indoors while I was working. I was up a ladder, and dropped my bow saw while reaching to cut a branch. Within seconds it seemed the toddler saw the bright shiny object and crawled towards it, but tripped and fell. He looked up at me briefl y before letting out an almighty scream as blood trickled slowly down his face (sorry gentle reader!). Thankfully the incident ended without major injury, as the mother was a doctor and reacted instantly and relatively calmly, and after a quick visit to A & E (those were the days) all ended without serious concern. Needless to say I wasn’t invited back to work in that garden. Now hillside gardens have their own unique hazards, and living by the Malvern Hills I am often working in steep gardens. Many years ago I was clearing undergrowth near the top of a steep bank. It was getting late and starting to rain, and it was time I stopped for lunch. I was tired, but decided just to fi nish the last bit while I was up there. I pulled at a clump of ivy, which came away rather more easily than expected, and next thing I knew I had performed a backward somersault and landed with a thump on my back on the lawn below! I couldn’t move. I tried to shout for help but had winded myself and could only manage a pathetic squeak. I lay there for I don’t know how long, then feeling excruciating pain in my back I leapt to my feet and ran like a madman down to the street where I attracted the attention of a passer-by who quickly summoned an ambulance. Amazingly there were no broken bones or permanent injury, but it was a few weeks before I could move freely again. I had previously attended an osteopath for a stiff neck and shoulders, and am pleased to report that that particular problem never returned! Just one more hillside garden incident to relate, then I promise to stop before I put the reader off from ever gardening again. I was recently strimming a lawn on the top terrace of a steep garden. Just below the lawn was a formal box hedge, edging the lower level of the garden. It is surprising how similar a lawn and a box hedge look when they are nearly on the same level, and sure enough I stepped off the lawn and into the box hedge, the strimmer strapped to me on a harness. I found myself lying in the hedge, the strimmer whirring away by my feet. I managed to locate the stop switch and apart from a few cuts and bruises am pleased to say I emerged unscathed, but no more strimming got done that day. Working in gardens day in and day out for many years, I suppose my chances of having an accident are higher than the owner of a small garden doing the occasional bit of tidying. But it is important to be aware that all tools, especially sharp tools and power tools, can be dangerous. Tiredness, inattention, a moment’s carelessness can all lead to an accident and possible injury, so if you are working in the garden, please, take care.