As we all know, Christmas is on its way and working out what to buy the gardener in your life, who indeed may have everything can always be quite difficult at times so here’s a few thoughts on items I use in my everyday working live that I personally couldn’t be without. Maybe your loved one would like them as much as I do

Sharpening Stones

Whatever task you do in the garden does involve cutting something I tend to find and I hate using cutting tools that aren’t sharp! Tried lots of different sharpening stones until I came across this set sold by Niwaki. This set of water stones cover all my sharpening requirements unless I take a chuck out of the blade. The advantages of these wet stones compared to the oil stones is firstly they just need to be soaked or dipped in water and not mucky oil! Secondly they do put a very good edge on the tool as well, takes a little longer granted but so much better. The range covers a rougher 220gauge stone ideal for getting either the edge back slightly on the tools or indeed tools where sharpness isn’t as much of a requirement, 1000 gauge stone, ideal for most pruning equipment and a 3000 gauge stone for real fine edge on tools! This one almost just polishes the edge! They can be brought in their own for £15.00 each or £43.50 for the set of three. Available from Niwaki

Gold Leaf Gloves

I have been using these for about 5 years now, started using the winter touch, a great insulated pair of leather gloves for my winter work before moving on to the dry touch for those horrid days wet days when you need something to keep your hands dry. I was lucky enough to be given a pair of soft touch gloves at Glee earlier this year and they are proving as good as the others. They are really the best leather gloves I have used for gardening, the winter touch keep my hands warm and dry, the dry touch keep them dry unless it’s a soaking wet day and soft touch are just prefect on a dry day when I need to be able to feel what I am doing. There is a men’s and ladies range, so you should be able to find a pair to suit. The deer hide leather they use in their production really does protect my hands form even the worse of thorns, I have spent many a day pulling brambles and shredding thorny Plants though the shredder without any thorns getting through. They also look pretty smart and again would last the person receiving them, would enjoy them for years. They cost around £25 and are available from all good garden centres and the full list came be found here

Herbaceous scythe

Yes yes another Niwaki product but they do supply such great tools! This little hand Scythe is used in Japan for harvesting rice and it makes it ideal for trimming back herbaceous Plants, I will admit I have used it on trimming up lavender as well. Simple to use, just grab a handful of old leaves and foliage and cut near the bottom. Reduces the strains of the wrists from using secateurs to do the job and is so light as well. Ideal little tool. Costs £14.50 again from Niwaki

Tina Grafting Knife

If your loved one enjoys a bit of propagating in the garden shed, loves taking cuttings during the spring and summer, then a extra sharp propagation knife would be an ideal present for them, this top of the range German made knife is the best on the market and will last them a life time, if they don’t lose it that is! The stunning polished walnut handle fits like a glove into your hand and is just a lovely tool to use. They cost about £70 and can be brought from here

De wit Hand border fork

Hands up for those who spend so much time on your hands and knees, weeding though borders or indeed raised beds, right that’s most of you, now hands up those who get fed up stabbing the ground with hand forks, ending up with one massive blister in the middle of your hand? Again so many hands. Now this delightful fork may be your answer, bigger than a hand fork but not as big as a border fork, this Beauty has a T shaped handle and believe it or not, is easier on the palm of you hand. It makes short work of any weeding and and because if it’s size, won’t end up being another victim lost in the compost heap, not discovered until next year. Yes we all have done that too. Priced at £22.99 from Crocus

Nutscene garden twine

A real little stocking filler and no matter the size of your garden, you will always need some twine somewhere, this special twine, made by Nutscene in Scotland using natural fibres and is ideal for tying in plants and now in a wide range of 14 colours, crafts around the home and garden. Yes there’s cheaper twine out there but none as good as this! Prices start from £2.30. Can be brought online at Nutscene

Wolf Garten multichange tools

If you know someone starting out in gardening, someone moving from a big garden to a smaller one or as a first time buyer then these are the tools to look at. I started using them ummmm in 1989, before all the heads became detachable and they were the best you could use then, the push and draw hoe is one of the easiest hoes to use and flows though the soil with effortless ease, the cultivator makes short work of the toughest ground and the range of tools is staggering! Always buy the person a handle and a couple of heads and let them buy the rest. The range can be seen and brought from here but also good garden centres. Ps photo not taken by me because I forgot to do it!

Silky super accel 21 pruning saw

There’s folding pruning saws and there’s folding pruning saws, from all I have used, this is the best there is, sharp beyond sharp, makes mince meat from most size branches, cuts through them like a hot knife though butter! If the loved one in your live enjoys pruning, fishing or camping, then this is the pruning saw for them! The saw feels comfortable in your hand and folds down to a nice size to fit into most pockets. A great bit of kit! It can be brought from most good forestry shops or indeed from here for about £30.00

Gränsfors axes

Well if you have a person in your life who loves chopping wood, wether it’s kindling to start a fire or wood for burning on it, they will need an axe and these handmade axes from Sweden are just the thing they need! Indeed people become so addicted to these axes that they collect the whole ranges and with the person who actually made that particular axe having their initials stamped on each one, so people even collect one of each made by that person. What’s the fuss? Well five minutes with the axe and you will find out, perfectly balanced and razor sharp, I have the small forestry axe, it looks small, indeed I have had clients smirking at me using such a small axe for logs, after seeing it in use they soon stopped! These are quality tools build for a lifetime! They cost from £80 upwards depending on the one you go for. Full range with suppliers can be found here

That’s just a few ideas for tools for the gardener in your life, next week I shall have a look at a few other ideas that would an ideal gift for someone