12 gardening gadgets worth buying: an expert guide
So many gardening gadgets, so little time – and not enough money, quite frankly, to buy them all. Which ones, then, are actually worth shelling out for if you want to make all of your garden ideas a reality?
Much like garden trends, gardening gadgets have a knack of falling in and out of favour with the masses. Which is all well and good and normal, but it can make it tricky to decide which ones to click ‘add to trolley’ on.
The solution? To suss out the gardening gadgets that are beloved by garden designers, horticulturalists, and green-fingered gurus, of course!
The gardening gadgets you’ll actually use
There’s just no point filling your shed with gardening gadgets you’ll never use (especially when you could use the space for houseplants, or overwintering dahlias, or making all of your cosy garden ideas come true).
With that in mind, then, we reached out to a bevy of gardening experts, and asked them to spill the beans on the gizmos they really rate and recommend.
Experts such as, say, Danny Clarke, aka @theblackgardener, aka the co-host of BBC series Instant Garden.
(Image credit: Neil Marshment Photography)
‘I believe the gardening gadget that’s a must for any gardener is a swoe-hoe,’ says Danny.
‘Looking like a wedge golf-club, you might be tempted to use it to hit a ball into the distance over the lawn. With a push and pull action, though, this tool is ideal for severing annual weeds below ground at their roots.’
Danny, who absolutely knows his stuff, adds that a swoe-hoe ‘is also great in tight situations where space around plants is limited.’
Of course, Danny’s isn’t the only voice we value when it comes to expert garden advice. Here’s what all of our experts had to say when we asked them for their top gardening gadget recommendations…
The must-have gardening gadgets
Wilkinson Sword Stainless Steel Swoe Style Hoe
With a bevy of positive reviews to its name, the Wilkinson Sword Stainless Steel Swoe Style Hoe promises some serious bang for its buck.
Use yours to, as suggested by Danny Clarke, weed around tight spots, safe in the knowledge that it comes with a 10-year guarantee.
Felco Model 14 Secateurs, Red
Not one but two of our garden experts cited Felco’s range of pruning shears and secateurs as the ultimate gardening gadget for any amateur horticulturalist.
Garden designer Jacquie Felix-Mitchell dubs her pair her ‘best friend’, while garden designer Annika Zetterman praises them as ‘outstanding’ quality that will ‘last a lifetime’.
Haws Essential Metal Galvanised Watering Can
Annika also rates this large watering can from Haws, which she says serves as ‘a decorative item in the garden.’
With the capacity for 2-gallons of water, she adds that it is more than ‘big enough for larger plants, so watering can be efficient even when a hose is not an option.’
Garland Super7 Electric Heated Windowsill Propagator
Zoe Claymore, who won a gold medal at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, says this is the same heated propagator she has in her office.
‘It makes germination quicker,’ she says. ‘Also, it has enabled me to germinate many more difficult things in a small space without the need for a big greenhouse.
Eco Friendly Large Wooden Plant Pot Labels
Joseph Clark of @JoesGarden fame says ‘plant labels are an absolute must, but please stay away from those cheap nasty plastic ones, as they will become brittle in the sun!’
‘I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve got my plant varieties mixed up because I forgot to label the seeds when I sowed them, and it is very annoying,’ he adds.
Top tip, if you write on these with pencil, you can rub it off and reuse the label next season.
Burgon & Ball RHS Stainless Hand Trowel
‘I bought my Burgon & Ball hand trowel at Chelsea Flower Show 2018,’ says Annika.
‘It is designed with care, so that hands and wrists are comfortable when digging.’
Wooden Dibber With Measurement Scale
‘I am always getting asked what this tool is in my videos, and it is one of my favourites,’ says Joseph.
‘It’s fantastic for giving you control over seed sowing depth, aids with transplanting seedlings and will speed up your seed sowing, too.’
‘Sometimes simple things are the best,’ says Zoe.
‘To help water seedlings, I’m a fan of this very inexpensive (and very useful) plastic watering top.’
Zoe also likes the fact that ‘you can attach it to different standard drinks bottles, so you are recycling some things at home at the same time’.
Universal Watering Can Rose Head
‘Arguably my most used tools in the garden are my watering cans,’ says Joseph.
‘Please make sure you have a rose attachment for the end, as this will help water fragile plants, without damaging them.’
Capillary Matting For 4ft Staging
‘Capillary matting from ‘Rhino’ saves my bacon when we go on holiday,’ says Zoe.
‘It enables plants to be constantly watered from the ground up and makes things lower maintenance when I’m rushing around in the spring.’
It’s always a good idea to have a smaller watering can on standby for seeds and seedling, hanging baskets, and tricky to reach potted plants.
It’s also handy if you have, like this writer does, an enthusiastic toddler trying to ‘help’ you out, as it means they can lift it without struggling too much (just don’t fill it to the brim!).
Wild & Stone Wooden Nail Brush
‘This one might seem a little bit random, but the day you start gardening, it will make perfect sense,’ says Joseph.
‘I prefer to garden without gloves, as I like to feel in contact with the soil. Inevitably, dirt finds its way under even the most well kept trimmed nails, and can be a nightmare to remove!
Good hand hygiene is very important for gardeners, and a nail brush just makes it that little bit easier.
So, there we have it! The next time you feel the urge to splurge on gardening gadgets, definitely heed the words of the experts and make an effort to source the tools they find themselves using day-in, day-out.
Or, y’know, you could treat yourself to some bulbs for your bulb lasagne instead.
The choice is yours!