Following our fabulous but lengthy summer vacay in Florida, then family camping at Wicksteed Park, then on to bonny Scotland, we returned home to somewhat of a jungle in our garden, which had been sorely neglected and was in need of some serious TLC.

With our joyously hot and steamy summer season this year, the garden has lapped up the rays and bloomed beautifully but was sprouting in all manner of random routes and badly crying out for a bit of direction.

Enter my sexy friend, the Gtech lawnmower – I kid you not, this mean machine does it for me in spades! I am a firm believer that if you must invest in necessary home and garden appliances, you may as well go for the prettiest that ticks all the practical boxes.

I have never felt this way about a lawnmower, people. That’s probably a good thing (I’m sure there is a name for lawnmower fetishists?) but being serious, I don’t have time to faff around with wires or petrol, lugging the equivalent of my own bodyweight around the garden trying to work my Wimbledon worthy lines around our modest patch of grass. And it looks pretty swish too.

So when I set about my mid-to-end of summer makeover to enjoy the last of the balmy evenings and the start of the firepit-fuelled cosy ones to cling on to evenings in the great outdoors, there was only one man for the job and that was this sexy little number.

Light enough my 10-year old can glide it around, and so easy to use it halves the time I used to spend trimming the turf.

I sat back and admired my handiwork until Harry pointed out the messy borders so I got my matching strimmer out and finished the job!

I put together a little vlog of my new best friend and it’s powers, as well as a bit of flower-porn into the bargain.

I’m not looking forward to the long cold winter evenings which will be upon us before we can say the C-word guys! Ho, ho, ho and all that… so I thought I’d stave off the need for a S.A.D. light by indulging myself in my favourite floral highlights from the garden this year.

Who doesn’t love an Arthur Bell? I adore when this yellow rose blooms and flowers into an arch above our patio doors. The scent is delicious and it looks ever so pretty on Instagram!

These clematis do a lovely job in forming a gorgeous frame to photograph the children when they are feeling generous enough to strike a pose for their old mum!

Various family holidays in Europe inspired me to add Hibiscus to the back of the border and these are coming to life nicely as they grow stronger year on year.

My all time favourite, the Hydrangea is my ultimate in flower power.  Thirsty work they are, and I’ve killed more than I’ve cultivated by forgetting to water them but my little collection is coming along nicely and soon they will front each aspect of the garden.

This is what I call my love tree.

An enchanting Japanese Corkscrew Willow, this beauty is home to a plethora of pretty decorations and forms an amazing centrepiece to entice our visitors.

So I hope this indulgence has left you excited for spring and ready to invest in your gardening tools – you know it will be around in the blink of an eye – but tell me, what’s your fave helper? Any top tips for a green-fingered friend?