Gardening newbie - how much roughly to get the grass cut? o getting a lawn mower?

[Startingagainandagain]

I recently bought my first house and I am now starting to try to get the garden ready for Spring.

This weekend I trimmed all the bushes and removed most of the weed but my front and back garden (medium size) have overgrown grass.

Anyone could give me an idea of how much I would be looking at to get the grass cut and then regularly maintained by a gardener? (I am in the South East).

Also I am tempted to just get a lawn mower and get it done myself as an alternative and wonder if people have done that and if there are any reasonably priced lawn mower than you would recommend (I am a rather small woman so would need something that is not too heavy)?

Mowing a lawn is one of the easiest garden jobs there is. Far more common to do it yourself than get someone in. Although if it's very overgrown and you don't have a strimmer or sythe you might want to get someone in to do that for the very first cut.

For a medium lawn, the easiest option will be a battery mower. I won't make specific recommendations because ours is almost 10 years old and models have changed.

Cut on the longest setting for the first cut of the year, then take it down a notch each time until you reach your preferred length. Middle setting is usually the best balance of neatness and drought resistance. Cut around once a fortnight from March to October, ideally when the grass is dry.

I'm in the south east as well. My garden turned into a jungle last summer as no time to keep on top of things and rain ++. Grass very long full of weeds and impossible to mow, shrubs overgrown
I found a gardener on local Facebook page, £18 an hour and he sorted it out in few hours. Well worth it and will probably be booking him to come regularly.

If it's very overgrown - like calf length - I'd get someone in for the first cut in a month's time.
Then I'd buy a battery lawnmower, and do it yourself. It's an easy job, and is better done whe the weather is right rather than determined by the schedule for a gardener.
You'd be saving money by the end of the first year, I'd guess, by buying rather than hiring.

Another vote for investing in a rechargable lawnmower. Which? Currently recommend the husqvarna lc44 or the Mac Allister cordless solo 18volt but as a new homeowner I’d look at the ones where the battery can be used in other things like power drills - the Bosch power for all is one range. The battery is the expensive bit.

two things

• lawns do have to be mowed fairly regularly. If you’re going to neglect it then pay someone to do it
• it is worth investing in a cordless, they are much quicker and easier to whip out than corded and are more likely to get used.

Definitely do it yourself. It'll be cheaper, and you don't have to rely on someonelse who may or may not turn up. Mowing the lawn is much less hard work than the work you've already done.

Our idea of medium sized may not be the same, but when I had a smallish garden I used a small Flymo which was cheap, light, and very easy to use. Something like this.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flymo-Turbo-Lite-250-Lawnmower/dp/B07KGXS3FH/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1QG9T6FBPJKPE&keywords=small%2Bflymo%2Blawn%2Bmower&qid=1707123380&s=diy&sprefix=small%2Bflymo%2Blawn%2Bmower%2Cdiy%2C68&sr=1-3&th=1

Thank you so much everyone for all the advice!

I will definitely get myself a lawn mower.

I have only neglected the garden so far because I was focusing on renovating the inside of the house until now, but I will be able to take the maintenance of the front/back gardens from now on.

I might look at having someone do the first cut though.

@Bestinshow22 Thank you for the link! that looks good to me and at very reasonable price too :)

Don't get a flymo. Suggest you get two things:

A decent pair of edging shears
A small battery powered mower that you can lift. Rotary blade with collection box. Look at Bosch or a cheaper brand, somewhere like B&Q, Wickes or Toolstation.

Cut neat edges on your planted areas (make these with an edging iron if you need), then mow. Once a week is OK mostly from April, sometimes twice per week in May/June. Stop cutting around October-ish but weather dependent and tou can cut grass whenever it is dry and still growing. I cut mine yesterday.

Mow all around the perimeter two mower widths, then go up and down from one side to the other.

Ignore NoMow May. Fastest way to ruin your lawn with weeds!

Ignore NoMow May. Fastest way to ruin your lawn with weeds! Weed is a concept purely in the eye of the beholder. One person’s wildflower is another person’s weed. Come to that, one person’s garden flower can be another person’s weed. See Alchemilla mollis.

you can be more relaxed about the mowing if you keep the edges trimmed. Neat tidy edges make the whole lawn look tidier.

No point in “no mow May “ if the previous owner “weed and feed”ed it regularly. There wont be anything in the seed bank, and the soil will be so rich that thugs like grasses will out compete any seedling.

No Mow May isn’t long enough to get anything interesting going, just for the daisies and clover be smothered. Regular mowing lets those grow and flower much better.

"Don't get a flymo. Suggest you get two things:
A decent pair of edging shears
A small battery powered mower that you can lift."

Obviously it's up to OP, but why do you say no to a Flymo? I am in my 60s and not particularly strong and can lift and carry a small Flymo with no problem.

I dont think it's about relative weights of battery and Flymo. Small electric mowers are all much of a muchness on that front. The Flymo cable is a pain, though - battery is a lot less hassle. No need for suitably placed sockets and wrangling extension cables. And you can't accidentally run over the battery while mowing.

I need to find someone to help me with my garden this year. Not sure where to look.

But, OP, I've seen this instead of a lawn and am really loving the idea if I can get someone to do it: www.livingetc.com/advice/red-creeping-thyme-lawn

Have a look at robotic mowers. I'd replace mine before I replaced my robo-vac. There's a bit of work involved to lay the guide wire and I replace the blades every year but I think they're great.

Another vote for, robotic mowers, especially if your lawn is all in one section rather than two or more separate lawns.

You may have to pay quite a bit up front but over several years it will work out good value. Just plan half a day or even a full day for the initial set up depending on size and shape of lawn.

Probably not sensible to get a robot mower unless your garden is completely secure. It may be useless without tge wires and charging unit but casual thieves may not know that

I would buy a mower and do it myself unless it is ridiculously long and up to your knees. We use an Einhel battery mower for our garden. The mower is great, quick to recharge, and does a fantastic cut, with no trailing cables, or can of petrol hanging around. Do a long cut for your first, then shorter then next. If you try and scalp it in one go you will just spoil the grass and jam your mower. We compost or scatter the cuttings on the beds. GL