It's easy to keep your garden in great shape with our wide range of lawnmowers, trimmers and strimmers. This handy guide will help you decide what equipment is best suited to your needs.

Lawnmowers come in many different forms for tackling different kinds of garden environment. Some are more suitable for pocket-sized gardens, while others are perfect for tackling lots of acreage.

Lawnmowers come in three basic types, cylinder, rotary and hover.

Cylinder mowers - have blades that rotate vertically against a bottom blade to give a scissor-like cut. Ideal for level lawns where a short, fine cut is required, they come in a variety of cutting widths. They also feature rollers for a striped effect, and detachable grass collection boxes - so you can choose whether or not to collect clippings.

Rotary mowers - have blades that roate horizontally at the selected cutting height and the grass is thrown out at the back into a grass collection box. Very versatile, these cope with most types of lawn including rougher areas and sloping banks. 

Hover mowers - literally hover over the surface of your lawn. Lightweight, models tend to have integrated grass collection boxes.

Ride-on mowers - designed to tackle larger land areas efficiently, these are petrol-powered and need similar maintenance to cars (petrol, oil and safety checks). They come in two kinds.

Tractor models - resemble a small tractor and have cutting blades underneath with a collection box at the rear. Generally these feature pneumatic tyres to cope with uneven terrain and wet conditions.

Adapted petrol mowers - consist of a larger, higher end petrol mower that can be connected to a seat or roller attachment.

Engine capacity for ride-on models is expressed in horse power (hp), the higher the figure, the more powerful the engine.

Manual - recommended for smaller size, flat gardens, these are inexpensive, easy to maintain and compact. Best of all, they don't use any fuel so they're eco-friendly and free to use!

Electric - generally, electric mowers are better for small to medium sized lawns. Light and manoeuvrable, they are easiest to use and maintain.

Petrol - better for medium sized to large lawns, as there is no trailing cable to worry about and are powerful for excellent performance. Available with either an electronic key ignition or a recoil starter (just pull on the cord to start the machine).

Self-propelled - require no pushing so are great if you are elderly or infirm. Larger petrol mowers can be self-propelled, which is ideal if you have a big area to mow.

Use the table below as a rough guide to help you decide which power type you need:

Traditionally, hedges were shaped with garden shears but - while this skill is still favoured by some - it's quicker and easier to pick up a hedge trimmer.

Blade length - the longer the blade, the faster you'll get the work done.

Blade width -this is the size of the gap between the serrated teeth of the electric saw. It corresponds to the maximum diameter of cut the trimmer can make. So an 18mm blade width will be able to cut through branches or stems with an 18mm diameter thickness.

Mains electricity - convenient and easy to use, these models are generally lighter than petrol models. However, they aren't ideal for hedges far away from the power source, and you must always take care not to cut the power cord by mistake. You must always use an RCD adapter when not in use.

Petrol - cordless, these give you total freedom of movement. However, they can be noisy and smoky, and tend to be heavier so are harder to handle from the top of a ladder. You will also need to store a supply of petrol for refilling.

Rechargeable battery - cordless, these give you total freedom of movement and typically have a low noise level. However, batteries need to be recharged for 5-7 hours to provide approximately 30 minutes of running time - so you'll need to remember to charge the batteries prior to use.

Automatic brake - when you release the trigger, the blades will stop almost immediately. A good safety choice.

Double position trimmers - let you adjust the handle to form a right angle with the blade, so you can make a level cut along the top of your hedge more easily.

Hedge cuttings collector - a blade attachment collects the cuttings in a tray. A useful feature when cutting across the top of the hedge, preventing cuttings from falling into the hedge and looking untidy.

Hand guard - this will protect your hand against the trimmer's blade and flying debris.

These versatile and lightweight tools let you access hard to reach areas of your lawn. They're ideal for tackling uneven ground, steep grassy banks, trimming lawn edges near walls and fences, or underneath plants.

They work using a line of nylon cord that spins at very high speed to cut through vegetation. Some models require you to change the cord when it breaks or wear out; others have an integral cord spool which feeds through automatically as required and will only need replacing when the spool runs out.

Other more powerful models have twin cords, which gives better performance especially in overgrown areas.

Wider width - ideal for the fast clearing of scrubby, overgrown patches and clumps of undergrowth.

Narrower width - ideal when you need manoeuvrability for cutting borders, path edges, corners and underneath plants.

Comfort comes first when choosing a trimmer, so your back and shoulders are in the most normal position possible. Look for a model with an extendable handle or shaft that you can adjust to suit your back height.

A double-handed model is recommended if you want to use your trimmer for longer periods. Some models let you adjust the handles for even greater comfort, and include features like wrist supports.

When using any kind of powered garden equipment, the following 10 basic safety measures can help prevent accidents:

1. Use goggles to protect your eyes from flying debris
2. Always wear heavy-duty footwear when gardening
3. Keep children and pets away from garden equipment
4. For electric hedge trimmers, check that the socket outlet has working RCD protection
5. Position the electric cable away from the cutting direction
6. Do not use electric trimmers in wet weather
7. Hold trimmers with both hands
8. Made sure the blades have stopped and the machine is switched off before attempting to remove any jammed foliage
9. Store any powered tools in dry conditions to prevent mechanical or electrical damage
10. Always follow manufacturer's instructions.