Which? gardening brings you the Best Buys lawnmowers for under £300

With two poor summers behind us, you may have neglected replacing your battered old lawnmower for a while, but don’t worry – the prices seem to be coming down for all types.

You can get a good electric mower for £130 and a good petrol mower for £220 – here we highlight a great selection of Best Buys for less than £300. You can view the full results from Which? Gardening’s tests of 32 lawn – mowers and hand mowers, including seven mowers that are new for this spring, at Best buy lawnmowers.

If the thought of long summer days has got you itching to keep your lawn as neat and green as possible, our gardening experts also round up key tips on how to get the best from your mower.

Four steps to a fine lawn
Which? Gardening explains how to get a luscious lawn

How short to cut
Cut purely ornamental lawns composed of fine grasses to between 12 and 25mm high. Cut little and often, at least weekly, when the grass is growing. For a typical well-used family lawn, set the mower as close to 25mm as you can, or a little higher. For the first cut of the year, or after a holiday, set the blades even higher, and gradually reduce.

Using clippings
If you leave the grass collector off and let clippings fall into the turf, this will help in times of drought. Do this when you’re cutting little and often, but collect up longer clippings. Some mowers have a mulching option where clippings are cut finely and then blown into the turf. This helps feed the lawn and cut down on chemical fertilisers.

Mowing technique
Don ’t always mow in the same direction – mow at right angles on occasion. Going over the lawn now and then with a wire rake will lift straggly grass so it can be cut.

Keeping it edgy
However good your lawn is,keeping the edges neat will improve its appearance no end.Use old-fashioned edging shears or a grass trimmer every other cut. Once a year, re-cut the edge with a sharp spade or a half-moon edger.