TOOLS AND KIT THAT CAN HELP

Glove up

Wear thick gardening gloves when pruning, moving rubble or clearing brambles. For lighter duties, Crocus’s bee-print everyday gardening gloves (£12.99), soft jersey fabric with stretch cuffs and palm grip dots, are fun (crocus.co.uk).

Long-handled fork

Invest in tools that are designed to reduce strain on your back and joints and reduce the need to bend. Fiskars (fiskars.com) has a good range. You can also try to train your non-dominant hand to do its share of the work and spread the load.

Waterproof trousers, rain jackets

Genus’s quick-dry, waterproof 3-Season Gardening Trousers for men and women (from £139) have waterproof knee pads and stab-resistant pockets for secateurs and knives (genus.gs).

Gardening overalls, dungarees, aprons

Think Felicity Kendal meets Chanel. Tinker & Fix have these bib overalls, from £120, built for movement (tinkerandfix.co.uk). Sarah Raven sells a Gardener’s Pinafore, £64.95 (sarahraven.com).

Hand/grip strengthening gizmos

Invest in finger resistance bands which improve finger strength for athletes, musicians... and, yes, gardeners. Around £4 for three. And the Hand Band – a hand exerciser is £15 (both amazon.co.uk).

Boots/practical gardening shoes

Gardensillustrated.com recommend the Birkenstock Schuhe Super-Birki Clog (around £54). And the humble wellington has had a makeover – here’s the Aigle Parcours Wellington Boot (around £115).

Folding kneeler seat

Kneeling on a hard surface can cause knee bursitis, so invest in a soft kneeler. RHS Plants sells one for £34.99 (rhsplants.co.uk). Robert Dyas’s Outsunny (above) is £17.99 (robertdyas.co.uk). B&Q’s dark green knee-pads cost £7 (diy.com).

Telescopic pruner

This miraculous gardening tool extends the capabilities of pruning tools, thanks to the extendable pole. Spear & Jackson’s Razorsharp telescopic pruner (10-year guarantee) is £30 at Argos (argos.co.uk).