All products are independently selected by our editors. If you purchase something, we may earn a commission.
Denim gardening tool belt
Chosen by Esosa Aiworo
Gardening with this strong but chic utility belt embodies the ethos ‘Where practicality meets style’. As you tend to your plants, your gloves, trowel and pruners are all effortlessly within reach, making you feel like a true green-fingered artist. Designed with sturdy denim, and fully adjustable, this pocketed wraparound from Fallen Fruits will elevate your sunny planting days while still keeping it ‘fashion’.
Hand-woven cotton hammock
Chosen by Elly Parsons, Digital Director
‘Some might say that the only truly acceptable place for tassels is on a preppy loafer or swinging burlesque-style from a pair of nipples,’ wrote Gareth Wyn Davies in our definitive A–Z of The World of Interiors earlier this year, where ‘Frills and Fringe’ made it into the coveted ‘F’ spot, ahead of other important ‘F’ words. ‘Furniture’, ‘frames’, ‘finishing touches’… This tasselled hammock, available at Abask, is another fine example of how a pop of passementerie is the perfect choice, no matter what the occasion. The hammock is crafted and woven by fourth-generation artisans from small towns across Nicaragua. It is made from the finest natural cotton and stretched out with a spreader bar made from renewable wood. For best results, hang between two walls or trees with a distance of 15ft, and swing low.
Galvanised-steel watering can
Chosen by Leyla Spratley, Junior Sub-Editor
Try as they might, no designer could ever rustle up a garden tool to match the beauty of the blooms it serves. Or could they…? Enter ‘Fazeley Flow’, a devilishly good-looking but sturdy piece created by the world’s oldest watering can company, which swatches the richly autumnal Nasturtium flower for its powder-coat Pantone. Handsomely spouted in a shape hardly touched since it was first invented in 1884, this model also means you can lavish precise attention on your indoor plants when the weather gets beastly. Take that, Mother Nature.
Grass nester
Chosen by Ariadne Fletcher, Editorial Associate
There are few finer simple pleasures than sitting outside, hot tea in hand, listening to the joyful music of bird song. This is not just mere romantic whimsy, but is backed up with scientific corroboration, thanks to a 2020 study conducted by California Polytechnic State University, which concludes that ‘only seven to ten minutes of exposure to these sounds improved people’s wellbeing’. Which is why, in an effort to invite more natural calm into my life, my top gardening accessory is a bird shelter. Veta Vara’s grass nester from Toast is handwoven by artisans in Ghana. The result? A resilient and eye-catching avian abode.
All-weather notebook
Chosen by Alice Kemp-Habib, Features Editor
If you’re after something durable in which to record your gardening schedule, you can’t do much better than Rite in the Rain’s all-weather notebooks. They come in a range of sizes and colours, but I’m partial to the mini in yellow; a pocketful of sunshine when the weather won’t play dice.
Caged planter
Chosen by Holly Black, Contributing Arts Editor
While most hanging baskets have a whiff of Hyacinth Bucket about them, Nkuku’s aged zinc ‘Abari’ caged planter is more akin to a chic, rustic chandelier. It’s a fabulous choice for anyone who is short on space but enjoys a bit of architectural drama. I’ll be filling mine with a flush of ‘Velvet Black’ petunias and cascading ‘Creeping Jenny’, for a Gothic take on a suburban classic.
T-shirt
Chosen by Ivan Shaw, Visuals Editor
The summer months can be a challenging time for gardening in the hot and humid north-eastern USA. When it comes to figuring out the right gear to wear, the key is to stick to the basics. I prefer the comfort and durability of the Club Monaco slim brushed cotton tee. Obviously in olive, so I blend in a bit and provide less of a target to the ever-present wasps!
Japanese weeding trowel
Chosen by Ginny Davies, Designer
It seems excessive, but all five members of my immediate family own a Niwaki hori hori. As diverse in its uses as our individual green-fingered exploits (from my brother’s market-garden business in Somerset, to my South London rooftop veg bed), its an all-round weeder, bulb planter and dig-er extraordinaire. The carbon-steel blade makes it tough enough for any garden-based gouging, and the canvas sheaf does make me feel a little bit like a botanical Lara Croft when strapped to my belt.
The graphic designer foible for good packaging outweighs my Welsh farming roots when it comes to what I plant with my hori hori. Herboo’s heirloom vegetable variety seed set is a perfect match for my patch, both in scale and aesthetic.
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Metal garden chair
Chosen by Gareth Wyn Davies, Deputy Chief Sub-Editor
Habitat appears to have rediscovered some of its lost groove of late, especially in its anniversary ‘60 Years of Design’ collection and a few other choice bits besides – viz. this low-slung ‘Teka’ metal garden chair, which I reckon would be worthy of the chain in its heyday. I plan to recline in it and watch as someone else does the weeding.
Exfoliating hand wash
Chosen by Rose Eaglesfield, Decoration Assistant
Many people herald the grounding effects of hands touching soil, connecting to the earth as you bed seeds, pull up weeds and re-home plants whose roots are pressing against the sides of their pots. When the pleasure of a gardening session is over however, there is also a joy in scrubbing the mud from your hands, replacing remnants of earth with the soapy scent of an aromatic garden. This hand scrub from Diptyque is the perfect afterlude to an afternoon of hard graft.
Canvas apron
Chosen by Alice Inggs, Digital Editor
Stitch up your kitchen-garden ambitions with this cotton canvas apron designed for fingers both green and nimble. Affixed with a handy pocket for gloves, seeds or pruning shears, it is illustrated by artist Sara Abu-Hejleh with a variety of vegetables and includes an embroidery kit to encourage would-be gardeners to sew the vegetables they’ve grown. My sewing skills are somewhat superior to my sowing skills, so even if the sprouts don’t sprout, the apron can double as something to wear while chopping the shop-bought variety.
More tempting shopping stories from The World of Interiors
- Don’t Bite: Home accessories that look like food
- Open-air graces: alfresco dining accessories to elevate any picnic
- Solving the case: luggage and oddments for the discerning traveller
- Design-led Stationery: a selection of gold-star-worthy desk staples
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