I can’t honestly say that the latest Bank Holiday Monday was very exciting but it WAS productive. With Pete at work on sanding our 100-year-old cast iron drainpipe so I can paint it, I was busy in the garden tackling hopefully the last stretch of brambles. I wasn’t alone it seems and a quick glance at my Instagram stories shows everyone getting in on the garden action lately. Apparently, 27 million of us in the country profess to being avid gardeners, which is a huge proportion of the nation’s 64 million-strong population.
Not only this, but the gardening retail market in the UK is said to be worth around $5 billion, and despite the economy being on a downturn at the moment, spending money on our gardens is as popular as ever. Perhaps it’s our need to try and forget about the news that’s sending us into our gardens for a bit of peace and tranquillity!
I hold my hands up and freely share that after 5 years in our home I’m still learning so much about gardening but we got a lotta outside space for London and I thought I’d share my 3 essentials to keep in your shed.
Garden Kneeler Set
Yes, I am basically nearly 40 and therefore in my head rapidly approaching middle age. I sometimes get up like I’m 90 years old, ok? I also spend a lot of time either crouching down or on my hands and knees in the garden whether it’s weeding, digging out brambles or clearing up Maddie’s poo (oh the glamour of being a dog owner).
Fed up of hearing my creaking bones, Pete suggested a garden kneeler seat which is the perfect solution and you can pick one up yourself from Coopers and Stortford for as little as £14.99.
It’s a great little gadget which essentially helps you to avoid back and knee strain when gardening, and if you’re a regular gardener can help reduce the risk of injury. It achieves this by serving as a comfortable and convenient foam kneeler, whilst also doubling as a seat when pulling at weeds or dead plants. It also provides sturdy support when getting up, which in turn minimises the strain placed on your body when gardening, perfect for old fogies like me!
A Hedge Trimmer
This has honestly been SUCH a game changer for us. We’ve got hedges in two places, one along the fence on the left hand side and also in between us and our neighbours down a shared alley. The hedge at the start of the alley grows like wildfire at this time of year and needs a regular monthly trim to keep it under control.
From cutting away thick shrubbery to trimming thick grass and lawn edges, hedge trimmers are brilliant multifunctional tools that most gardens need in order to keep neat and tidy. They’re not even particularly expensive considering how useful they are either and really give excellent value for money.
My tip would be to focus on buying from a reliable brand with a good reputation, whilst also looking for products that include useful accessories such as a telescopic shaft to make those harder to reach areas accessible.
Wheelbarrow
In my ideal world I’d sit in the wheelbarrow and get Pete to push me round the garden cos ya know, there’s not much to do in London for fun…! But failing that a wheelbarrow is a must-have if you have a bigger garden. We’ve got the double-whammy of having a long garden (it’s about 100ft) plus it slopes upwards and especially when we first moved in and had a lot of undergrowth clearing to do, I don’t know what we’d have done without a wheelbarrow. Again something you can pick up for less than a tenner, what are you waiting for?
I’d love to hear your garden essentials, what are the must-haves for you?
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