The best gardening gloves for every job

The best gardening gloves are not one pair. They are two: something light and flexible for planting, potting and weeding, and a leather gauntlet for roses, brambles and anything else that fights back. Trying to do both jobs with one glove is why so many gardeners end up with a drawer full of pairs they do not wear.

Everything below is about which of the two you are choosing, and how to get the fit right, because a badly fitting glove comes off within ten minutes and stays off.

• The two-pair rule
• For thorns, roses and brambles
• For planting, potting and weeding
• For wet weather
• For sensitive skin
• Getting the fit right
• Making them last
• Frequently asked questions

The two-pair rule

Protection and dexterity pull against each other. The more material between your fingers and a thorn, the less you can feel a seedling. No glove escapes that trade-off, which is why matching the glove to the job beats hunting for one that does everything.

Keep a light pair by the back door for the twenty-minute jobs, and a heavy pair in the shed for the afternoon ones. Rotating them also makes both last longer, because neither spends its life damp.

For thorns, roses and brambles

Thorns go through fabric. They go through most synthetic gloves too. For rose pruning, blackthorn, brambles or anything dense and woody, you want leather or suede, and you want length.

The cuff is the part people skip. An ordinary glove stops at the wrist, which is precisely where your forearm goes when you reach into a shrub, so a gauntlet that covers the lower arm prevents the scratches that actually happen. A ladies' rose growers gauntlet or an all-suede leather gauntlet will both do it.

Fit matters more here, not less. A loose heavy glove costs you control over the secateurs, and losing control while holding a blade in a thorny shrub is how the afternoon goes wrong.

For planting, potting and weeding

Here you want the opposite: a close fit, flexible fabric, and enough grip to hold a small pot without squeezing it. You should be able to pick up a plug plant, feel a root, and pull a weed out whole rather than snapping the top off.

A snug cuff earns its place for a different reason. It stops compost getting in, which is what turns a pleasant hour of potting into an evening of scrubbing your nails.

Breathability is the other thing to look for. A sweaty glove chaps your hands just as effectively as no glove at all, because the skin ends up going through the same wet-dry cycle from the inside.

For wet weather

British soil is wet more often than it is dry, and a glove that soaks through is worse than bare hands, because it holds cold water against the skin for the rest of the session.

Look for a water-resistant palm and a coating that stays grippy when wet. The grip point is the one people underestimate: wet tool handles and wet pots slip, and the moment a glove goes slick you stop trusting it.

Whatever you buy, get them properly dry afterwards. That is covered below, and it is the difference between two seasons and five.

For sensitive skin

If your hands react, the glove itself is as likely to be the cause as the compost. Rough interior seams, tight cuffs and synthetic linings all rub, and rubbing on already-irritated skin keeps the cycle going.

• Choose a soft interior and smooth seams over a thicker, tougher construction
• Avoid cuffs that grip tightly at the wrist, which is a common irritation point
• Wear gloves for genuinely everything, since limiting contact with compost, sap and plant hairs matters more than the glove itself
• Test a new pair for a short session before committing to an afternoon in them
• Rotate pairs so neither is worn damp

If skin is already broken, deal with that first. There is more on repairing the skin barrier in how to heal chapped hands.

Getting the fit right

Snug, with room to bend your fingers fully. Two checks tell you almost everything.

• Make a fist. If the glove fights you or bunches across the knuckles, it is wrong.
• Hold a pair of secateurs and close them. If the fingertips are too long, the blade wanders and you lose the cut.

Judge finger length and palm width separately. Fingertips too long cost you dexterity and pinch small stems. A palm too tight tires your hand within the hour and lets the seams rub. Between sizes, go closer for planting and roomier for heavy work.

Many women's gardening gloves come in a one size fits most design, which removes the question entirely and is why they work so well as gifts.

Making them last

Gloves rarely wear out. They are usually ruined by being put away wet.

• Shake the soil out after every use, before it dries in
• Dry them naturally, away from direct heat. A radiator will stiffen leather and shrink it
• Wash only if the care label says so, and avoid harsh detergents, which break down coatings and leather alike
• Hang them somewhere you will actually reach for them, by the back door rather than in the shed

Our gardening gloves run from tweed and workwear designs by Burgon & Ball, including the RHS-endorsed British Meadow and British Bloom prints, through to leather gauntlets and men's suede riggers.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the best gardening gloves for thorns and brambles?

Leather or suede gauntlets. Thorns pass straight through fabric and through most synthetic gloves, so the material has to be genuinely tough, and the glove has to be long enough to cover the forearm. That length is the part most people miss: an ordinary glove stops at the wrist, which is exactly the part of you that goes into the shrub when reaching in to prune. Fit still matters, because a loose heavy glove costs you control of the secateurs at the worst possible moment.

What are the best gardening gloves for sensitive skin?

Look for a soft interior, smooth seams and a cuff that is not tight at the wrist. Rough seams and gripping cuffs rub, and on skin that is already irritated the rubbing sustains the problem. Wearing gloves consistently matters as much as the choice itself, since limiting contact with compost, sap and plant hairs removes the trigger. Test a new pair for a short session before a long one, rotate pairs so neither is worn damp, and if the skin is already cracked, treat that before spending more on gloves.

How should gardening gloves fit?

Snug, with full finger movement. Two tests settle it: make a fist, and if the glove bunches across the knuckles or resists, it is wrong; then hold a pair of secateurs and close them, and if the fingertips are too long the blade will wander. Judge finger length and palm width separately, since a glove can be right in one and wrong in the other. If you are between sizes, choose the closer fit for planting and potting, and the roomier one for pruning and heavy work.

Can you wash gardening gloves?

Only if the care label says so, and never with harsh detergent, which breaks down both coatings and leather. Most gloves need nothing more than shaking the soil out after use, before it dries in and works into the fabric. Drying is the part that decides how long they last: leave them somewhere airy and away from direct heat, because a radiator stiffens and shrinks leather. Gloves put away damp are what develop the smell and the cardboard texture, not gloves that have been worked hard.

Do you really need more than one pair of gardening gloves?

Two pairs will cover almost any garden. Protection and dexterity work against each other, so a glove thick enough for brambles cannot let you feel a seedling, and a glove fine enough for sowing will not survive a rose. Keep a light, flexible pair for planting, potting and weeding, and a leather gauntlet for pruning and clearing. There is a second benefit: rotating two pairs means neither is worn while still damp from the last session, and both last considerably longer as a result.