Weekly Roundup – Karen's Favourite 10! – Gardening essentials
Each week, Karen chooses her favourite five items from the Verde Store – we want to show you new things, things we are loving and things we think you shouldn't be without. With Karen's background in horticulture and garden design, she picks out 10 gardening essentials that every seasoned and budding gardener should have in their gardening kit.
It doesn't matter if you are starting out in gardening or have gardened for years, there are some tools and gardening items that are universally essential. They make gardening easier and a little more fun. Now I could have easily done a top 20 for this one, but stuck to 10. I still haven't included any of the larger tools that are useful and worth having so will do that another time. If you are trying to put together lovely presents for gardeners this festive season (or any time of the year really!), then hope this helps.
A really good pair of secateurs
Everyone needs a really good pair of secateurs. These with a lovely wooden handle are gorgeous and will last forever if you look after them. Use them for small jobs, you'll need a larger tool for larger branches. There are lots of secateurs to choose from but these are definitely worth having.
Little set of gardening tools - stainless steel trowel and tined fork
A little well made transplanter trowel is great to have, so useful on an everyday basis. These ones have depth markings on them, so you know exactly how deep you're planting - especially useful for planting bulbs. These are great for weeding and planting and transplanting seedlings (hence the name!).
I also like to have a little hand held tined fork, which is great for weeding and turning the soil.
These are both made of polished stainless steel & a quality finish so highly resistant to rust, leaving it looking beautiful for years to come.
Shop Transplanter Hand Trowel
Shop Tined Hand Fork
Plant your seeds and seedlings like a pro with this wooden dibber
Not many people know what this funny looking tool is, but it is so handy for planting seedlings and seeds and even small bulbs. It has depth markings so you can be consistent with your plantings. Made from sustainable wood. Use it for making little holes to plant seeds, slight larger ones for seedlings, and big ones for bulbs etc.
Protect your hands with a quality pair of leather gloves
Protect your hands while gardening with a pair of quality leather gloves. These are really comfy, and allow you to feel what you are touching in the garden. I find that plastic gloves tend to tear straight away & they aren't sustainable either – these are goat skin, so are soft, stretchy and firm fitting. Simply put in the wash once done and use again and again. I like to have a few handy for various gardening jobs and to be honest any gardener loves multiple pairs of different types of gloves. So, you really can't go wrong with this in your kit.
Shop Sprout Leather Garden Gloves
Shop larger 2nd Skin Leather Garden Gloves
Cane toppers to make your veggie patch beautiful
I think that small finishes can complete your garden. These cane toppers make a great gift for the budding or keen gardener. They go on top of your garden stakes, playing both a decorative and safety role. These gorgeous acorn toppers are hand-turned in Scotland using oak sourced from UK forests. Always great to have beautifully designed finishes in the garden to make it look it's best!
An all time favourite – classic wooden garden trug
These are essential for when you're out in the garden. They are great to carry your tools and essentials while gardening, or to carry your freshly harvested fruit and vegetables to the kitchen. These are my absolute favourite, and I can't do without one.
Hand-made from strips of shaped FSC wood which have been secured by solid brass pins and screws. A quality classic hand made gardening essential & a bit of a treat for the gardener. This is one of those gardening desirables that as a gardener you might be unlikely to buy for yourself, so fabulous as a special present.
The Rolls Royce of watering cans
If you want to splurge for a gardener or indulge yourself, the Haws watering cans are arguably the best watering can you can buy. It's a classic that you will pass down for generations and looks perfect in any garden as well as being totally practical and useful. These are the ultimate & the Rolls Royce of the gardening watering cans ! They come with a brass rose, creating a fine spray for general and more specific watering purposes.
Twine – the super practical staple
It may sound boring, but twine is used everywhere in the garden, and makes a great little gift for the gardener or included in a gardening kit. I like to use a natural (brown) twine for general gardening, and brighter colours for plants I need to come back to and relocate easily or for marking something to find later.
Made from strong and sustainable jute, the iconic Nutscene twine comes in a wide variety of vibrant colours & are well known in the gardening world as the ones worth buying.
Fun and decorative rusty bird
Last but not least, I've chosen something decorative and fun for your garden. These rusty birds are really popular and are great to dot around the garden.
Watch Karen's Gardening picks
Hope you love these! You can find most of them all online & for a limited time at our Fav5 section.
Follow Verde on Instagram or Facebook to catch Karen's favourite five each week.
