Robotic lawn mowers are quietly transforming garden maintenance across the UK, raising growing concerns about the future of thousands of professional gardening jobs. As these machines become more affordable and technologically advanced, many homeowners and councils are choosing automation over traditional labour.
These compact, battery-powered machines operate autonomously, using GPS, boundary wires or onboard cameras to navigate gardens. Equipped with sharp rotary blades, they trim grass continuously and return to a charging station when power runs low. Most models can be controlled via smartphone apps, and many operate silently at night or during rain.
Robot mowers are designed to cut grass little and often, typically every day or two. Because the grass is only ever slightly shortened, the tiny clippings fall back into the lawn and decompose quickly. This removes the need for a grass collection box and actually feeds the lawn with nutrients — a process known as “mulching.” The result is a consistently tidy appearance with no visible clumps or mess.
However, robot mowers are not without their limitations. While they keep lawns short, they do not produce the traditional striped finish created by cylinder mowers with heavy rear rollers. Some high-end robotic models offer a form of pattern mowing by following systematic GPS-guided paths, but these do not create true visual stripes — and there’s no downward pressure to bend the grass blades in alternating directions.
Additionally, robot mowers are currently unable to strim or edge grass near walls, flowerbeds, or paving. Although some premium models are designed to cut closer to the edge with offset blades, they still leave a narrow fringe of uncut grass. Robotic strimming and edging systems are being researched, but reliable, affordable versions are not expected in the near future.
Prices for robotic mowers vary widely:
- Entry-level models start around £400–£700 and suit small gardens.
- Mid-range models with GPS and multi-zone support cost between £800–£1,500.
- Top-end models for complex or large gardens can exceed £3,000.
By comparison, hiring a gardener to mow a lawn weekly throughout the growing season (April to October) can cost between £500 and £1,000 or more — roughly equivalent to buying a decent robotic mower. However, the machine only mows. It doesn’t weed, prune, plant, diagnose pests or diseases, or manage the seasonal health of a garden.
Security remains an issue too. Though modern robot mowers often include alarms, PIN protection, and GPS tracking, theft continues to be a concern — especially in unfenced or public-facing gardens. Stolen mowers are difficult to recover and frequently sold second-hand or sent abroad.
Local authorities and housing developers are beginning to test robot mowers on communal greens and estates, raising further fears of job losses among grounds maintenance teams. For self-employed gardeners and small firms, the spread of these machines may lead to a steady erosion of basic, dependable mowing work.
Although automation brings convenience, the growing popularity of robot mowers could come at a cost to one of Britain’s oldest skilled trades. As technology advances, the question remains: will the gardener be replaced — or simply redefined?
