1. Fiskars PowerGear™ X Pruner
This pruner is the real deal. It is both strong and light and it cuts like a dream. The unusual element is that the contoured handle rotates as you cut, which is what makes using them so effortless. It enables you to feel more in control of the cut. The bright orange of the handle also makes it less easy to lose in a bed. The very sharp blades are made from extra hard, corrosion resistant steel so they stay sharp for longer. It delivers a powerful cut with ease and is a real joy to use. The tool is weather resistant, as you’d expect, but it also comes in medium and large sizes which is rather thoughtful.
£34.99 from fiskars.co.uk
Reasons to love: Hardwearing, comfortable, powerful
2. Goats Milk Soap and Simply Goats Milk Lotion by The Little Goat Soap Company
An astonishingly effective range of products for moisturising skin. It was created to try to alleviate one of the family’s struggle with eczema after hearing that goats milk is beneficial for dry skin conditions such as psoriasis.
The goodness of raw goats milk combined with essential oils for their homeopathic qualities and shea butter for its moisturising and anti-inflammatory properties resulted in outstanding success.
Different blends bring different benefits. Garden Goat has rosemary, tea tree and lavender oils, natural pumice and goats milk soap to clean up mucky hands while Bug Off keeps nasties at bay. Whether you have dry skin or not, these all-natural, fragrant gems make your skin feel great.
£3.95 for 100g soap, £8.95 for 50ml lotion from thelittlegoatsoapcompany.co.uk
Reasons to love: Effective, long-lasting, natural
3. Smallholding: A beginner’s guide to raising livestock and growing garden produce by Georgina Starmer
A clear and sensible guide to the variety of elements that growing and raising your own entails. It has an A-Z growing guide for fruits and veg, covers topics such as buying or renting land, soil health, composting, fruit trees, pasture management, stock fencing and has detailed livestock info on keeping bees, caring for poultry, goats, llamas and alpacas, pigs, sheep and cattle, as well as the relevant legal requirements. It also offers advice on making a profit from GYO.
£24.95 from 5mBooks.com
Reasons to love: Informative, varied, practical
4. Walled Gardens by Jules Hudson published by The National Trust
Walled gardens have had a chequered history but remain alluring and enchanted spaces. Starting out as safe enclosures for medieval planters, they grew into status symbols for the powerful before falling into ruin.
Stunning restorations have taken place at Knightshayes Court in Devon and Churchill’s own creation in Chartwell, Kent but it’s the haunting beauty of Plas Newydd in North Wales that makes our fingers itch to start recovery work. This is a compelling guide to these gems from the BBC presenter.
£16.99 from National Trust shops and book retailers.
Reasons to love: Knowledgeable, inspirational, thoughtful
5. Novelty Birdhouse Cottage
They say a picture says a thousand words and this one certainly does! This is one of the most detailed birdhouses we’ve seen for a while and it is adorned not just with windows and a balcony but a white picket fence, too. In practical terms the back wall is removeable, so it can be cleaned between residencies and the nestbox inside has drainage and ventilation holes. One can only imagine the level of snobbery that this deluxe nestbox could inspire in birds!
£52.99 from primrose.co.uk
Reasons to love: Unusual, entertaining, wildlife-friendly
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