The search for Britain’s Best Lawn is over for another year but the new winner is, in fact, a husband and wife team with ‘his and hers’ lawns. The competition, now in its ninth year, is again sponsored by Briggs & Stratton, the world’s largest producer of petrol engines for lawnmowers and almost 100 entries have been received from all corners of the UK.
The winning lawns are owned by Malcolm and Sandra Rogers from New Apley near Wragby in Lincolnshire. Malcolm’s is a very formal affair with beautiful stripes and colourful borders contrasting sharply with Sandra’s wildlife meadow with walkways cut through for ease of access.
“The judging panel’s decision was unanimous,” explains Ian Small, Briggs & Stratton UK’s head of sales and marketing. “This is the first time we’ve had dual winners but Malcolm and Sandra’s lawns are so innovative and demonstrate the flexibility and creativity of lawns. They are worthy winners of the competition with a combination of formality and environmental care.
“At Briggs & Stratton we have a major commitment to environmental care, continuously driving down emissions and ensuring that our manufacturing meets the most stringent green demands.”
They will share the prize of a new Atco Clipper 16 cylinder lawnmower powered by a Briggs & Stratton engine, with an RRP of £899.They will also have the services of gardening journalist and author Martin Fish for the day plus a selection of Wilkinson Sword Garden Tools, a Keter EasyGo wheelbarrow, two tickets for the Harrogate Spring Flower Show, and a copy of the best selling The Lawn Expert by Dr D G Hessayon.
Talking about his garden, Malcolm said: “It’s not in my nature to neglect something, so it’s been an ongoing project for about 18 years now. It’s been difficult at times but I’ve enjoyed every second and I’m very proud of the results! I also would like to thank Wragby Community Gardeners Club for their support with the open garden evenings that we have held – and for their delicious cakes! By opening up our garden we’ve helped to raise money for local causes, which has really helped keep the community together”.
Each week in the growing season Malcolm and Sandra spend an estimated 10 hours each day tending their separate lawns and gardens. They have created them from natural grassland which demands them working hard throughout the year. Malcolm’s ¾ acre lawn is the perfect place to relax after a hard day’s gardening and Sandra’s similarly sized meadow has flowers for almost six months of the year and is a haven of colour and wildlife.
The search now turns to finding Britain’s Best Lawn for 2014. To find out more or to enter click here.
