Green fingers are better than dirty ones

Knowledge bank

The phrase ‘green fingers’ is most often associated with having a knack for gardening. Bosse Rappne has always had green fingers. His parents ran Slottsträdgården Ulriksdal, a nursery based at Ulriksdal Palace, near Stockholm. In 1985, Rappne took over the running of Slottsträdgården Ulriksdal along with his mother.

However, it was his participation in popular Swedish TV program Äntligen Hemma (‘Finally home’), that made Rappne a household name for many people in Sweden. He has also written a number of books on gardening.

”I work with furnished nature”


“I work with restructured nature,” he says, when asked to describe what he does. He still runs Slottsträdgården Ulriksdal and lives in a house in the grounds.

Around the old palace there are a range of different enterprise blossoming. Slottsträdgården Ulriksdal operates a commercial nursery, a café and conference center, and also offer horticultural design services and various courses and training programs.

For Rappne, it’s not just his fingers that are green. He has long been a passionate advocate for the environment, which is why he started using Aspen alkylate gasoline ten years ago.

“It offers so many benefits. The equipment run better, it doesn’t smell bad, and you can let young employees walk behind lawnmowers without feeling guilty.”

“It offers so many benefits. The equipment run better, it doesn’t smell bad, and you can let young employees walk behind lawnmowers without feeling guilty.”

Bosse Rappne describes himself as a ‘critical user’, who is keen to service and repair his own machinery himself. And for those who tinker with their engines themselves, Aspen offers yet another benefit:

"Everything is cleaner, of course. You don’t get all dirty in the same way."

The benefits are very substantial. Are there any downsides?

"Hmm ... some people might think that the gas is a bit pricy. But when you average it out over a year, it’s not really all that much. Not even for me, as a professional user."

Rappne's five top tips for a perfect lawn

1: Don’t cut the grass too short!

Grass should never be shorter than 4–5 cm. A blade of grass is a plant, with half of it living above ground and half below. If the grass is cut too short, the root system is weakened and weeds can take hold more easily.

2: Cut often and less

A natural consequence of tip number one; it’s better to mow the lawn little and often than short and occasionally. Do not trim more than a third of the grass by length – you can shock the grass, which will take a long time to recover.

3: Leave the grass cuttings where they are

The cuttings are the next generation of soil. Leave them on the lawn, as long as there is not too much. Any excess may need to be raked off.

4: Don’t use lime

Regular lime treatments for your lawn will release well-bound nutrients into the lawn. Whilst this can provide short-term benefits, in the long term it will drain the nutrient content from the soil.

5: Fertilize

Moss disapears as love grows

If you’re experiencing problems with moss in your lawn, all the above advice will help. Moss will not thrive in a dense, well-fertilized lawn. The more love a lawn gets, the more the moss will disappear.  However, if the problem is too great, you may need to give your lawn a helping hand:

• Rake off as much of the moss as possible.
• If you have any bald patches in the lawn, sew grass seed to repair them, following the instructions on the packaging.
• Make sure the soil is kept lightly watered for a couple of weeks.
• Don’t mow the lawn until the grass has taken proper hold.
• Never mow more than a third of the height off the grass.