vintage - Vintage Horticultural and Garden Machinery Club

Rare Hoes and Thinners?

November 7, 2025November 1, 2025 by Alan

Occasionally, a long-forgotten machine may turn up in a book reference or a magazine article, and if we are lucky, an actual example may appear in the tinwork. But sadly, it seems, some of these machines are nothing but a… Continue Reading

When Mountfield Plugged In

August 30, 2025August 29, 2025 by Alan

A while ago, this blog looked at Vertex engines. These were two-stroke engines which made their way onto Mountfield mowers in the mid-1970s. It was not a success. Around the same time, Mountfield experimented with adding electric motors to their… Continue Reading

Aspera & Tecumseh Engines

March 15, 2025March 11, 2025 by Alan

Tecumseh is one of the main engine brands we see on many vintage machines, including mowers, rotavators, wood chippers, and even mini bikes. In the USA, Tecumseh bought the small engine manufacturer Lauson in 1955, and in 1956 the company… Continue Reading

Mowers and Bicycles

February 16, 2025February 16, 2025 by Alan

It is often overlooked, but many of the manufacturers of vintage horticultural machinery were also involved in manufacturing an array of other items. Just because we know them for horticultural items doesn’t mean they didn’t have interests (or beginnings) in… Continue Reading

Quiz 2024 – Locations and Countries

January 4, 2025December 11, 2024 by Alan

Here are twelve questions for a short quiz. Usually, the questions are quite random but this time they have a theme! How good is your machinery/manufacturer/geography knowledge as the questions and answers all relate to places around the UK and… Continue Reading

Quiz: Guess the company…#3

September 18, 2024September 18, 2024 by Alan

This is the third in a series of ‘Guess the company’ quizzes – and is more difficult than the first two and the clues are not in date order. Can you determine which single company the clues refer to? The… Continue Reading

The Invention of the Nylon Line Strimmer.

July 24, 2024July 22, 2024 by Alan

Let’s see a show of hands for everyone who has owned or used a domestic garden strimmer. This tool has become essential in many gardens, selling in large quantities over the years. But just how long has the garden strimmer,… Continue Reading

Quiz: Guess the company…#2

May 24, 2024 by Alan

This is the second in a series of ‘Guess the company’ quizzes. From the following eight clues can you work out which single company they refer to? The answer is at the bottom of the page. The first quiz can… Continue Reading

The Hare And The Tortoise

April 26, 2024 by Alan

There are many horticultural items that we now take for granted. These include secateurs with their introduction in the early 1800s (read more about them here), and rotary mowers with the early Rotoscythe being described as unorthodox with the suggestion… Continue Reading

Lawn Fertiliser Spreaders

March 27, 2024March 25, 2024 by Alan

You may be wondering why there’s a picture of a stuffed green frog in this article, but more about that later… I’ve concluded that nearly every garden, certainly those with a lawn, will have felt the presence of a garden… Continue Reading