This summer enjoy a proud parade of plants and posies without hesitation or harm to your hands. Good gardening gloves are essential to keep hands looking young and they need to be robust enough to stand up to prickly situations out in the garden. So, let’s look at how to keep up garden care with the right pair.
Summer shows without woes
It’s that time of year again when gardeners up and down the country have been weeding, clearing and mowing to their heart’s content in preparation for the summer season and days full of family frivolities. Now that our gardens are looking primed and prepped for enjoyment, we want to make the most of the decorative displays that are beginning to burst into life. Roses are one of my favourite features of British summertime. Their timeless and unique flowers are a staple in gardens across the country, from rustic cottage retreats to formal and historical gardens alike - so there’s a rose out there for every situation.
For ultimate upkeep of this beautiful bloom though, you need a glove to see you through even the prickliest of situations. Thorny plants are a problem no more, with SHOWA’s ‘Thornmaster’ 350R gardening glove. Perfect for summer, this glove boasts unmatched breathability so hot days are supported by antibacterial and anti-odour capabilities for continuous wear.
Rose care and cultivation
Marvellous roses need maintenance and there are many hands-on jobs that you need protection for. Ideally, you’ll feed roses twice a year. Once in March or April before they flower and once in mid-summer after the first flush of flowers. This is especially important for repeat-flowering types. For this, you’ll want to sprinkle a general or rose specific fertiliser around the soil and then mulch with organic matter. Luckily, the SHOWA 350R has a dexterous design and generous grip that also stands up to mess and grime - just soak in a basin of tepid water to dislodge any muck afterwards.
Container-grown roses may need more feed as they don’t have access to the same amount of nutrients, so change to a high-potash fertiliser like that for tomatoes once flowering starts. Some roots may grow near to the surface so, when weeding, be careful of these. It’s best to mulch over the area with a thick layer quite early in the season (about three inches deep) to deter annual weeds instead of spraying them with weedkillers, which can damage delicate rose petals - plus pollinators love roses and chemicals may harm bees.
Pop on your protective gloves and pinch off the fading flower heads with your fingers.
Take the time now to encourage more blooms through regular deadheading. Pop on your protective gloves and pinch off the fading flower heads with your fingers. I find that SHOWA’s gloves easily provide the tactility needed alongside abrasion resistance when working closely with thorns. However, once deadheading ceases, many roses will form hips (seed cases) and give up making more flowers. Though it may oust your hope for a long floral display, these hips can be quite attractive themselves and are a wonderful winter food source for wild birds.
Pruning and practicalities
For roses, late winter will see you pruning back most rose cultivars, though it changes slightly depending on the rose variety. But, with more than just thorn mastery to offer, there is a myriad of other plants that I care for whilst wearing my faithful pair of SHOWA 350R gloves.
As thorns and prickles are no match for them, they are robust enough for weeding, clearing, harvesting and for any pruning task at hand year-round. At this time of year your attention is turned towards trimming, training and taming your topiary and other non-flowering growth. With their textured palm, will see that such endeavours are finished with precision and that’s all you can ask for when undertaking intricate tasks.
In late summer, evergreen shrub Pyracantha (firethorn) shows oodles of bright orange berries and these SHOWA gloves will enable you to negotiate the long and sharp thorns to shorten back all side shoots and make the clusters of berries more visible for birds. These gloves also give great protection even in cooler weather - spot on for taking cuttings of holy bush for Christmas decoration. So, whatever the weather, your hands will remain protected whilst your trim and train your way to victory.
And there you have it - roses or not, there’s no way you’ll get in a pickle when your gloves are prickle-proof!