The World's Only Cut and Collect Safety Hedge Trimmer Expected to Revolutionize Gardening for American Enthusiasts

(New York, March 3, 2006) - From the United Kingdom, the "home of the hedge", comes a forward-thinking innovation for the gardener in everyone. On April 1st, Apollo Exports will introduce to America the Garden Groom: a revolutionary hedge trimmer that cuts, shreds, and deposits into a unique collection unit. The Garden Groom (www.gardengroom.com), created by inventor Graham Wilson in 2002, boasts a concealed blade for the ultimate safety and a volume collector bag for larger hedges. Fully embraced by the UK when it launched in 2004, the Garden Groom is available in two sizes; the larger more powerful Max with a 12" cutting head for large hedge runs and the lighter easier to handle Midi with a 9" cutting head for the average to small hedgerow (created for the everyday gardener and due to it's light weight and versatility, particularly suitable for seniors and women). Hedge trimming and shaping has never been so quick, easy, safe, or fun!

Graham Wilson, Inventor of the Garden Groom, says: "I created the Garden Groom for myself because of my frustration with hedge trimmers. I disliked the exposed blade for safety purposes, and hated cleaning up all the waste after trimming. I solved these problems in the Garden Groom's revolutionary design, and I look forward to sharing my solution with gardeners in America! "

The Garden Groom was introduced in the UK in 2004 to rave reviews and won the GIMA (Garden Industry Manufacturers' Association) Award for UK's "Best Gardening Product 2004" and "Exporter of the Year 2005" - the equivalent of the UK Gardening Oscars. It has already featured on the BBC's "Tomorrows World", Popular Science's "Best of What's New 2003" and Best Inventions programs, as well as the Discovery Channel's "What's the Big Idea?"

With the sales of hedge trimmers in America reaching six million units annually, Garden Groom is confident to find success in this market. Currently, the Garden Groom enjoys over 5% of total UK market share for hedge trimmers, an astounding percentage for a recently introduced product only one year in the market!

The design of the Garden Groom is truly innovative. Vibrant fluorescent green hues are accented with a grey circular blade cover, a large footprint which helps to create a consistent, smooth hedge length throughout the trim. The Garden Groom safety features includes a two handed handle design in order to activate the unit and a totally concealed blade to eliminate the fear factor associated with conventional hedge trimmers. The Garden Groom's unique shredding action reduces the clippings by 10:1, making disposal a far simpler task, especially when cutting thorny or spiky growth.

The Garden Groom Max cuts, mulches, and contains clippings in the proprietary Garden Groom fashion. Retailing at $199 and featuring a 430 watt motor, the Max's strong blade cuts up to 0.6 inches diameter and holds 8 square yards of clippings. Suitable for larger hedge runs/properties, it also comes with the Volume Collector Bag, which holds 70 square yards of clippings to be turned into mulch or compost, and weighs 9.1 lbs.

The Midi is the newest Garden Groom, and also cuts, shreds, and contains clipping in the proprietary Garden Groom fashion. Retailing at $149 and featuring a 300 watt motor, the Midi is ultra lightweight (6 lbs.) and versatile, and ideal for trimming and shaping smaller hedges and bushes. The lighter design is particularly useful for women / senior gardeners, and the Midi's strong blade cuts up to 0.4 inches diameter. It also comes with the Volume Collector Bag to hold clippings and aid disposal.