5 essential garden gadgets I can't live without

Summer sees everything go mad in the garden, with grass growing rapidly and weeds appearing almost as quickly as you get rid of them. So, in order to tackle gardening chores, it's important to make use of certain garden gadgets to get the job done right.

With this in mind, I've put together my recommended list of five garden gadgets I can't live without. Ranging from cordless lawn mowers to pressure washers, all of these, and more, really can help take the strain out of back-breaking gardening tasks.

Before you find out more, have you seen our recommended garden tasks to complete in May?

1. Robot lawn mower

Owning a robotic grass cutter used to seem like a bit of an indulgence, before I got kitted out with the Kress Mission Nano 600 robot lawnmower. This little beauty works a treat and, if you haven't got a huge garden to manage it’s perfectly suited to the job. A robot mower does require quite a good lawn to begin with, however, so I’ve not ditched my Flymo hovermower for those first-of-the-year trims.

Nevertheless, having a robot lawnmower pick its way around my green space cutting little and often does allow me to tick one job straight off my list. There are numerous variations on the robot lawnmower theme too, and not all of them cost as much as the nigh-on £1000 Kress model.

2. Kärcher Grass and Shrub shears

I can’t believe how useful my Kärcher GSH 18-20 Cordless Battery Grass & Shrub Shears has become over the last few years. I’ve had it a while now, which reflects just how good quality the Karcher brand is and I wouldn't be without this little beauty. The great thing about this electric gadget, which is powered by a detachable and rechargeable battery, is that it gets the job done in half the time it takes by hand.

Of course, there are plenty of other brands that produce this kind of gardening gadget if you’re not fussed about the Kärcher model. However, speaking from experience, I’ve found this model to be one of the hardiest and dependable there is.

3. Expandable Garden Hose Pipe

Watering and more general cleaning is so much easier if you invest in the right garden hose. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve had to straighten out the kinks in my old-school hose, so I’ve treated myself to a more sophisticated variant. Now this gadget might seem very low tech and it is compared to a robot lawnmower, but having a hose that just works is bliss.

If you can afford to splash out on a more expensive hose, that doesn’t kink as you work your way around the garden, you’ll find you’ll save so much time. What’s more, a good quality hose will last longer too. It’s easy to convince yourself that those ‘bargains’ in the middle aisle of some supermarkets are great, but they’re often cheap because they’re not as good, plain and simple.

4. Garden shredder

Trimming back bushes and smaller trees around my property is one thing, but it’s knowing what to do with all those cuttings that’s another headache. That’s why I’ve ended up with a garden shredder because these things are a real boon. For a start, they chop up all sorts – some of the beefier ones seem able to handle just about anything save for tree stumps. For me though, a smaller, compact electric one is just fine, like the Einhell GC-KS 2540 Electric Garden Shredder for example.

There are petrol-powered monsters if you’ve got a ridiculously big garden that needs lots of management. Either way though, what you end up with is lots of lovely, chopped foliage that can be easily bagged up for the tip or repurposed for use somewhere else around your property.

5. Kärcher K 3 Home Pressure Washer

Getting stuck into the gardening isn't just about the green spaces either. That’s why I’m going to name drop Kärcher again, for its rather excellent pressure washer. Again, I’ve had this appliance for a while now and it continues to provide everything I need for getting the green off my patio and drive. I used to tackle the driveway with a bucket and broom, but nowadays this pressure washer is everything I need.

Of course, there are many other models of pressure washer to choose from too but for me the way the Kärcher makes life so simple and continues to work so well means there’s no real reason for trading it in. And, considering just how potent the pressure is, it doesn't seem to use that much water either. Easy and efficient – who could want more?