[Beastie]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Ok, so a little bit of a backstory to start this thread.

A large part of my upbringing was spent outside. Whether it be making castles in the sandpit, climbing the huge maple tree in our backyard or playing house in the cubby, being outside has been a constant in my life from the beginning. I also spent a lot of time in my grandparent’s garden. Nan spent many years working as nursery assistant and after retiring, she spent her time tending to a beautiful garden that also had a glass house and what she called the “bush house” that contained my pa’s orchid collection. So you could say horticulture was in the blood.

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As I got older, gardening became my hobby. I was always in a rush to finish my homework so that I could get out into the garden. School holidays were spent playing in nan and pa’s garden helping pa mow the lawns or planting bulbs with nan. As I hit my teens, it became clear that gardening was going to transition from my passionate hobby to becoming my profession. I was mowing lawns from the age of 14, took up horticulture classes in high school, then completed Ornamental Horticulture qualifications over a three-year period. Working in a nursery was my ultimate goal, something that I achieved after working hard to prove myself. With only minimal nursery work available at the time, I started my own business at age 19, a gardening and mowing service that I still run today in conjunction with my nursery work.

So this thread will be a bit of an outlet for my horticultural endeavors. Oh, and also my obsession for mowers!

The current fleet.

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Do I spy a black sheep in the fleet...