by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Containers are an easy and hugely popular way to bring a splash of color to any space, however large or small the garden – and this season sees a new RHS-endorsed collection of specialist container gardening tools from Burgon & Ball, offering the perfect way to plant, weed and maintain container displays quickly and easily.
Gardening in containers, however, is not just a way of bringing a splash of color into even the tiniest of garden. It also makes it possible to grow at least some fresh vegetables and fruit for yourself and your family. And if you cannot got horizontally then think vertically.
The trend for container gardening is universal and growing; today’s smaller homes and busy lifestyles mean there’s often not the time or space for a large garden, while more extensive gardens also make the most of container gardening’s flexibility, simplicity and style. This new RHS-endorsed collection has been created in response to gardeners’ requirement for tools specially designed for use with containers.
The fact is, really, with modern homes today, that there is almost no garden there and often that which there is is only suited for lawn as, more often than not, as I have found some years back when doing the garden for some people, just below the top soil a great amount of builders' rubble has been buried. So the only way to grow flowers and vegetables is the use of containers or raised beds.
The range includes a container weeder, with a compact head and inwards-facing blade to protect plant stems from accidental damage, which is ideal for scraping off moss, weeding and turning over the soil. There’s a container scoop, with an innovative scoop collar to prevent spills and mess, and its generous size makes it a faster filler! Completing the line-up there’s a container root and transplanting knife. A dished, double-edge blade which is serrated on one side makes this multi-purpose knife ideal for sliding round pots to release the plants within, making holes for planting and making tight holes to add plants to add to existing displays.
The translating knife is very much akin to the Japanese Hori hori though without the extremely sharp edge that Hori hori has and minus the dagger tip.
Of course, the collection is equally suitable for use in raised beds – in essence, containers on a grand scale! Here too these new tools are ideal, as raised beds also present the problems of working with tight spaces and the requirement to weed, remove moss, and separate out individual plants.
All tools in the new RHS-endorsed container gardening collection are crafted in steel with FSC-certified wooden handles, and come with a ten-year guarantee for peace of mind.
Founded in Sheffield in 1730, Burgon & Ball is the UK’s oldest manufacturer of garden tools and accessories, with hundreds of years of expertise in steel manufacturing. A manufacturer of the world’s finest sheep shears since its earliest years, today Burgon & Ball is respected as a leading name in garden tools and enjoys an enviable reputation for quality and innovation. Notable product ranges are its Royal Horticultural Society-endorsed garden tools, and the popular range of hand tools and giftware developed in collaboration with designer Sophie Conran.
In 2018 Burgon & Ball joined the Venanpri Group, a global collective of the finest hand tool brands for agriculturists, horticulturists, gardeners, landscape and construction professionals. The cumulative experience of the Bellota, Burgon & Ball and Corona brands represents nearly 500 years of advancement in developing superior hand tools. With a global footprint spanning more than 125 countries across 6 continents, these brands have been the leading choice for generations of professionals who rely on quality and lasting performance.
© 2019
