I disagree that spring is the busiest season for gardeners. Yes, plenty of seeds to be sown, grass to be mown, thistles to be … hoe’n? But so much of the vigour and vitality of spring gardens is owed to efforts made the previous autumn.
The mulching, splitting, leaf shifting, planting, planning, pruning – even sowing – of October and November is what produces the magnificent results. The autumn to-do list can feel daunting, but the beauty of it is its lack of time pressure: spring rushes by in a heartbeat, autumn plays out leisurely, its jobs needn’t be hurried.
I have a vague yet fairly well-established running order for the autumn essentials. I’ll start by collecting and packaging seeds, chopping back perennials earmarked for dividing or relocation, and tidying raspberries and gooseberries with secateurs.
Spring bulbs then go in the earth, before mulches are spread above, or green manures sown over areas of bare ground. And as the colder days of winter descend, there’s the satisfying tying down of climbing roses. All the while, tree leaves are gathered up and either thrown on to borders, added to the compost or bundled into bags to rot down as leaf mould.
Good labour-saving kit makes light(er) work of even the more cumbersome horticultural endeavours. So, here’s my pick of the best garden tools that will have you sailing through the busiest of seasons.
Seed-saving ranks among the more pleasurable of gardening pursuits. Saving from your own plants is cost-effective and hugely rewarding – I’ve kept some species of annual flower going for more than a decade by harvesting and packeting seeds at the end of each growing year. As such, I’m a huge advocate for keeping a few seed envelopes in my gardening jacket. You may encounter a wildflower worth trying at home, or – all the more thrilling – a neighbour’s plant too tempting to resist pocketing a seed head from. Just remember to label what it is, when you harvested it and where it came from on the packet as I guarantee you’ll have forgotten when it’s time to sow.
Seed-collecting envelopes, 20 for £4.95
greatoutdoorscompany.co.uk
Lightweight and simply designed envelopes that will fit neatly into a pocket for impulse gatherings.
Seed envelopes, 50 for £2.73
temu.com
Boasting a little more vintage flair as well as a resealable lip, Temu’s envelopes are a characterful alternative.
While there’s merit in leaving many perennial plants standing to provide shelter and forage for wildlife, inevitably there’s going to be a little chopping back to do this side of Christmas. Choose wisely: secateurs are one of those few enduring gardening tools – look after them well and they become firm familiars, somewhat moulded to your grip. I’ve had the same pair for 15 years and counting.
Model 11 grower secateurs, £56.95
worldoffelco.co.uk
£56.95
amazon.co.uk
Manufactured in Switzerland with an elegant yet hard-wearing design, Felco secateurs are where comfort meets durability. Of the brand’s many models of pruning shears, number 11 remains the one for me: simple and unbeatably strong.
Pocket pruner, £19.99
burgonandball.com
£15.99
amazon.co.uk
This RHS-endorsed pocket pruner is, as the name suggests, a distinctly compact pair of bypass secateurs. With its carbon steel blade and alloy handles, however, resilience has not been compromised.
Left-handed mainichi secateurs, £42
niwaki.com
This popular Japanese model of Niwaki secateurs provides a much-needed left-handed option. They’re also conspicuously coloured, so they won’t disappear into the undergrowth.
As a self-professed messy gardener, my preferred approach with pruning has always been to lay down a big tarp and pile waste and clippings on top, saving the clear up for later. It harks back to my days in city garden maintenance, sprinting between domestic back gardens and the truck into which I’d bundle tarp-loads. A small-sized but sturdy tarp is far better than a large, easily torn one, especially in autumn when there are high winds and damp ground to contend with. Four to six sq metres will do the trick.
Tarpaulin, £13
diy.com
B&Q’s 3×2 metre tarpaulin is tougher than most and less likely to tear with sharper clippings like rose and gooseberry. Fitted with reinforced eyelets at each metre, it can be pinned down during, or tied up after, use.
350gsm tarpaulin, from £15.99
gardenersdream.co.uk
£19.99 for 2 x 2.5 metres
amazon.co.uk
The robust, blue and beige tarp from Gardeners Dream is made of even tougher stuff, and comes with yet more eyelets. It’s also a stylish choice – yes, even tarps can be smart – and comes in various sizes.
Even for someone who judges a fruitful day’s gardening by the muddiness of his hands, there is definitely a place for good gardening gloves. And never more so than during autumn, between leaf clearances, thorny pruning and mulch spreading. Sadly, the universal glove – one as amenable to dexterity as it is protective – does not yet exist. Best, therefore, to have two thicknesses handy, and to go extra thick for the protective pair.
Gardening gloves, £16
donkeygloves.co.uk
£16
amazon.co.uk
Among the more general-purpose gloves, my Donkeys have proved unusually long-lasting: warm yet breathable, lightweight yet tough.
Heavy-duty gardening gloves, £9.99
robertdyas.co.uk
These thicker gardening gloves have additional guards for thumbs and knuckles to tackle the scratchier jobs: think brambles, thistles and unearthed rubble.
I’ve long maintained that the border spade – slimmer and stouter than your regular garden variety – is the most versatile tool in the shed. It can sculpt like a mason’s chisel, trench like a digger, multiply perennials with the precision of a scalpel and scatter mulch with surprising accuracy.
Border spade, £46
davidaustinroses.co.uk
This narrow-bladed, hard-wearing stainless-steel spade is the exemplar of the border spade. It is a premium model designed for utility and comfort, with a smooth handle and supportive treads.
Golden spade, £42
niwaki.com
£46.20
amazon.co.uk
As compact spades go, Niwaki has taken an original approach to its signature golden spade. While the colour may be novel, make no mistake: its strength, acute sharpness and steel (rather than wooden) shaft make it an unbeatably practical tool that is much loved by gardeners.
Border spade, £89.99
crocus.co.uk
Crocus’s carbon-steel alternative is made in collaboration with specialist garden tool maker DeWit, has an ashwood handle and a lifetime guarantee.
Soil science is an ever-developing realm of horticulture, and something that is becoming increasingly apparent to gardeners are the perils of bare earth. Weeds exist for a reason: they colonise the unnatural state that is exposed soil, to protect against erosion, overheating, nutrient leaching and the breakdown of vital mycorrhizal fungi below ground. Green manure can help with this. Plants sown as cover crops, such as forage pea, red clover and vetch, spend their growing season both blanketing naked soil and inputting nitrogen via nodules on their roots. They are sown directly in autumn to grow through the winter, and can be chopped up and dug into the soil come spring.
Forage pea seeds, 250g for £3.25
sowseeds.co.uk
The deep, channelling root system of the hardy forage pea not only adds nitrogenous fertility to the soil but also improves its structure.
Green manure winter mix, 250g for £3.45
seedstosow.co.uk
This blended seed mix of rye and vetch is targeted at breaking down heavier soils and is as attractive over winter as it is productive.
No garden is too small for a wheelbarrow, and you only realise this the moment the work begins. A plump wheel, sturdy frame and comfortable pair of handles lend themselves to all manner of autumn tasks, from carting off prunings to distributing mulches and temporarily storing half-dissected perennials.
85L steel wheelbarrow, £56
diy.com
This basic wheelbarrow has seen me through many seasons to date, proving equally robust as a receptacle for heavy aggregates as for compost and plant material alike.
100L wheelbarrow, £79.99
sam-turner.co.uk
Maingate’s cruiser wheelbarrow provides ever-useful depth, boasting the hull of a cargo ship to reduce the running back and forth of multiple smaller loads.
Though there are many categories of garden rake, the leaf variety mustn’t be undervalued. It’s unsuitable for smoothing soil or turning up stones (or, indeed, scooping hay), but its application lies squarely with the organisation of leaves. The light tines are close-set and appropriately flexible to ensure optimum coverage while leaving the surface beneath – be it lawn, gravel or soil – unscathed.
Lawn rake, £10
wickes.co.uk
A steel-tined option, the narrower fan of this durable leaf rake makes reaching into tighter corners that little bit easier.
Plastic leaf rake, £13.58
toolstation.com
£13.58
amazon.co.uk
Long-handled, lightweight and made of stiff plastic, Bulldog’s leaf rake is the choice for larger areas of lawn, maximising width for a broader reach.
Spear and Jackson flexo lawn rake, £19.50
hurst-iw.co.uk
£18.95
amazon.co.uk
Spear and Jackson’s offering is made with rust-resistant metal and a lacquered ashwood shaft, meaning it is likely to stand the test of time.
Oddly, I resisted this tool for many years despite long winters of relentless leaf clearance. Could grabbers really improve on a pair of good gloves? The answer, to my slight embarrassment, is yes. Very much so. It may appear an unnecessary indulgence, but the efficiency of a pair of leaf grabbers saves time, inaccuracy and backache. Once raked to a pile, a flurry of tree leaves can be effortlessly scooped and deposited in seconds.
Handheld leaf grabbers, £9.49
diy.com
Option one is a pair of individual handheld grabbers in toughened plastic: sturdy and easily manoeuvred.
Plastic leaf grabber, £19.99
buxtons.net
£22.70
amazon.co.uk
Here is an even less toilsome alternative with handles – my personal preference – limiting the continual bending. You’d be amazed at the volume these can lift!
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Matt Collins is a garden, nature and travel writer, and head gardener at the Garden Museum in London