When local equipment dealers visit your lawn to demonstrate their equipment for an interested customer, that means one thing: Something is being done correctly on your lawn.
That is the story at Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire, England. For the last 11 years, the person who has been making sure the lawns are done right is head gardener Mike Cox. The Abbey is owned by the Russell family, major landowners throughout England, and includes 12 hectares of turf, various gardens, and a safari park that also has areas Cox and his crew of four employees maintain.
The grounds of Woburn present their own variety of challenges, including an English hedge maze, rose gardens, very old trees, and the maintenance of daffodil beds which grow up in large number for the spring and need to be mowed down in early June.
Mowing and collecting the lush daffodils are where Cox says one of his other employees shines: the Walker. Cox says he really likes their overall productivity. "The beauty is that the same deck used on the small, confined areas is used on the large areas- and is just as productive either way."
Don't think Cox doesn't give credit to his human employees. As a matter of fact, he is pleased to talk about how his employees have become familiar with the product and are very efficient operators, particularly mechanic-operator Andrew Grant.
Many times, Cox will send his employees out to mow near one of the demonstration areas being used by a local dealer. "I think my employees and I have sold a lot of these mowers by just 'showing up' during dealer demonstrations," says Cox.
To be sure, Cox and his crew take pride in doing things right at Woburn. For many visitors, the quality of their work is hard to ignore. "A lot of people stop and watch us ride around on the Walkers," laughs Cox. "I think visitors forget what they are here for sometimes."
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