Making gardening life a little easier on the body

Much as I love it, it would be fair to say that gardening isn’t always easy on the back, hence that famous quote from the American essayist Charles Dudley Warner: “What a man needs in gardening is a cast-iron back with a hinge in it.”

Neither, to be truthful, is it always easy on the joints, the skin or the hands. That said, there are some ultra-useful tools and accessories that can minimise the damage. First is a pair of really good gardening gloves, not only to prevent your hands from resembling those of a centenarian, but also to protect them from potential pathogens and irritants (contact with many common garden plants can cause a plethora of skin complaints). The best that I’ve come across – strong, lightweight, breathable and flexible – are Showa Floreo 370, which you can buy in most good garden centres.

That sunburnt skin? We all know that it’s important to use a really good sunscreen to prevent the risk of skin cancer, especially if you’re working out of doors for hours in the summer sun. Make sure to use a high- factor one, taking particular care to apply it to vulnerable areas such as the nose, back of the neck and tops of ears.

If your hair is a little thinner than you’d like, it is also important to wear a sunhat to protect the scalp. If you have a bad case of dry, chapped gardener’s hands, try Crabtree and Evelyn’s Gardener’s Hand Therapy Cream (€12.99, available from boots.ie) or Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve (€16.50, available from arnotts.ie).

Adjustable knee pads

For those occasionally aching knees, invest in a pair of cushioned, adjustable knee pads. Not sartorially things of beauty, but they will make the chore of kneeling down to weed a whole lot more comfortable.

Traditionalists will like those designed by UK-based Bradley’s Tannery, (bradleysthetannery.co.uk, £25, in pink, brown or green leather) or alternatively, you can go for the more high-tech looking neoprene version by Burgon & Ball, which contains layers of shock-absorbing, lightweight Eva foam.

Another useful piece of equipment is the newly introduced OneLeg which was spotted at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, a one-legged plastic stool designed to allow gardeners to weed comfortably (see caoonworld.com) without having to crouch.

Gardeners with arthritic hands meanwhile swear by the Active Hands General Purpose Gripping Aids (activehands. com). Finally, the British charity Thrive’s website, carryongardening.co.uk, gives advice on choosing the best and most ergonomic tools for gardeners with any sort of physical disability.