The Edit | Tending the garden

It’s time for the second instalment of ‘The Edit’ – a series of posts sharing a curated selection of items to help you make the most of simple, relaxed moments at home and beyond (you can see the first here). The focus today is gardening – something that’s given me real joy over the past 18 months or so.

I’ve always loved spending time outdoors, but it’s only during these strange times that I’ve discovered the stress-busting, anxiety-easing power of actually tending the garden. There’s something almost meditative about pottering among the plants, listening to the birds, plunging my hands into damp earth and watching the seasons change around me. Last summer we created a raised bed at the end of our garden and I’ve had fun filling it with textural grasses and seasonal blooms; I’ve also grown poppies from seed, and next year I might try introducing some herbs and vegetables. That daily connection with nature is very special – and you don’t even need a big outdoor plot, as there’s just as much pleasure to be had in caring for balcony containers and window boxes.

So, here’s my pick of tools, accessories, inspiring books and more to help you enjoy the benefits of gardening, no matter what size and type of space you have to play with…

1. ‘Lidney Sussex’ trug, £88, Rowen & Wren
2. Do Grow – Start with 10 Simple Vegetables book by Alice Holden, £8.99, The Future Kept
3. Ernst watering can in beige (also available in black), £30, Nordic Nest [AD – affiliate link]
4. Green – Plants for Small Spaces, Indoors and Out book by Jason Chongue, £15, Blackwells
5. Grace Alexander ‘Cutting Garden’ seeds (other selections also available), £7.50, TOAST
6. Reusable wooden plant labels (set of six), £15, Arket
7. Balcony grow box with six seasonal seed packets, biodegradable sprout pouches and peat free soil discs (other selections also available), £16, Herboo
8. Blomus ‘Planto’ stainless-steel watering can, £74, Nordic Nest [AD – affiliate link]
9. Ferm Living two-tier indoor-outdoor plant box in black (also available in ‘Cashmere’ beige, olive green and light grey), £229, Lifestory Edinburgh
10. Garden twine with turned wooden stand, £19, Midgley Green
11. Ferm Living ‘Bau’ balcony box in black (other colours also available), £80, Trouva [AD – affiliate link]
12. Niwaki Japanese garden scissors, £28, Trouva [AD – affiliate link]
13. Austin Austin ‘A Helping Hand’ set (Palmarosa & Vetiver hand soap and hand lotion plus wooden nail brush), £45, Object Story
14. Ferm Living ‘Grib’ tool caddy in ‘Cashmere’ beige (also available in black, olive green and light grey), £59, Nordic Nest [AD – affiliate link]
15. Dew-drop bee home, £28, TOAST
16. Nordic Garden Design book by Johanna Vireaho and Hanna Marttinen, £32.35, Finnish Design Shop
17. Linen crossed-back apron with pockets, £75, The Future Kept
18. HAY garden tool set, £35, Caro
19. Fruit-picking basket, £42, TOAST
20. Sneeboer hand fork and trowel (other tools also available), £43 each, Rowen & Wren

If you want more gardening advice and inspiration, do check out my friend Tiffany’s blog Curate & Display. She really knows her stuff and has a whole category devoted to gardens – big and small, indoors and out. In fact her site is a great read all round!

Please note this post contains affiliate links (all clearly marked), which means I will receive a small commission on any resulting sales. You won’t pay any more by clicking on these links than you would by visiting the websites directly, and it helps to support the free content I create here.

Collage images via the brands named above and bottom image by Jonathan Kemper; all other photography by Abi Dare