Best gardening gloves: The best gloves for pruning, mowing and digging
Looking to exercise your green fingers… without getting green fingers? These are the best gardening gloves you can buy
Whether you’re a landscaping pro or a budding gardening enthusiast, finding the best gardening gloves for you is essential. Spend any amount of time pottering about in the garden and you’ll quickly realise why you shouldn’t go without adequate hand protection. From strimming and trimming to pruning and planting, the best gardening gloves will allow you to make easy work of your chores without picking up any nasty cuts or scrapes.
There are excellent all-around gloves, well suited to a whole host of common jobs around the garden, as well as those designed specifically to excel in specific areas. In our buying guide you’ll find some of the key features to look out for while shopping for gardening gloves. We’ll then present our list of the best gardening gloves you can buy today.
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Best gardening gloves: At a glance
- Best for general purpose: FZTEY Thick Gardening Work Gauntlets | From £7.99
- Best for delicate work: Pine Tree Tools Bamboo Workin Gloves | From £6.49
- Best for kids: Handylandy Kids Garden Gloves | From £9.99
- Best heat-resistant gardening gloves: Cosystove Heat Resistant Gauntlets | £11
- Best long-sleeved gardening gloves: Exemplary Gardens Rose Pruning Gloves | From £24
- Best waterproof gardening gloves: QEARSAFETY Garden Work Gloves | From £6.99
How to choose the best gardening gloves for you
What materials are best?
Gardening gloves are manufactured from a wide range of different materials. Leather is traditionally popular as it’s both durable and breathable. Pigskin, cowhide and goatskin are all commonly used: cowhide tends to produce the toughest most durable; goatskin, often the most delicate and flexible; while pigskin offers a decent middle ground.
For lighter weight gloves bamboo, along with latex and neoprene are also commonly used, often proving more flexible than leather. These lighter materials do however require additional coatings across the palms and fingers in order to provide an adequate level of protection.
Durability or flexibility?
While all quality gardening gloves should be tough to an extent, some are certainly more durable than others – this, however, can come at the expense of dexterity. You’ll want to choose your gloves based on the job at hand. For heavy work such as mowing, strimming and digging, a thick pair of gloves will often work best, as protection here tends to be the number one consideration. For lighter, more delicate work, such as planting and pruning, you may find that thinner, more flexible gloves are better suited.
What about sizing?
Most gardening gloves are available in a range of sizes, and while they may not all adhere to quite the same sizing standards, they should offer a measurement guide allowing you to find your ideal fit. Opting for gloves that are too small may limit your range of movement or cause discomfort. Gloves that are too large may rub, hamper your dexterity and could even present a safety risk while using power tools.
Do I need arm protection?
While standard gardening gloves cut off at the wrist, sometimes you may find that you need a little more protection. Exposed arms can suffer greatly in the presence of thorns and brambles, so if you plan on pruning roses, or need to maintain some particularly prickly shrubs, gauntlets or sleeved gloves may be the way to go.
Do I need waterproof gloves?
Most gardening gloves through their choice of construction materials alone will offer some degree of water resistance. This is usually more than adequate for most outdoor jobs. If, however, you find that your garden gets particularly damp, or you need to do work around a pond, a fully waterproofed pair may be a good investment – no one likes having cold, wet hands!
Do I need heat-resistant gloves?
While you may not consider heat resistance to be an important factor while shopping for gardening gloves, you’d be surprised how handy it can be. A quality pair of heat-resistant gloves provide you with a comfortable level of protection while working with fire pits, bonfires and barbecues. While you wouldn’t want to go so far as to start handling coals, it’ll make clearing up hot ashes a breeze.
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The best gardening gloves to buy in 2023
1. FZTEY Thick Gardening Work Gauntlets: The best all-purpose gardening gloves
Price when reviewed: From £7.99 | Check price at Amazon
If you need a pair of durable gloves capable of handling the full range of outdoor tasks, then these heavy-duty gardening gloves from Xndryan are an excellent choice.
Made from sturdy cowhide these gloves are tough enough to provide protection from thorns and brambles, while still remaining comfortable and breathable. An elasticated strip ensures a secure fit around the wrist, while a reinforced leather panel across the palm provides an extra layer of protection.
Their chunky build means they won’t be best suited to more delicate tasks, but they’re an excellent all-around option.
Key specs – Material: Cowhide leather; Sizes: S, M, L; Water resistant: Yes; Waterproof: No
2. Pine Tree Tools Bamboo Working Gloves: The best gardening gloves for delicate work
Price when reviewed: From £6.49 | Check price at Amazon 
Traditional garden gloves tend to be rather bulky, and while they can offer excellent protection, they’re not always best suited to more delicate tasks. These work gloves from Pine Tree Tools aim to make gardening a more tactile experience, providing protection and durability without sacrificing dexterity.
The gloves are made from comfortable, breathable bamboo, with a hard-wearing coating across the palms and fingertips. While they can’t offer as much protection as some of the other gloves on our list, they’re ideal for intricate, delicate work, and can even be used on smartphone touchscreens.
Key specs – Material: Bamboo; Sizes: S, M, XXL; Water resistant: Yes; Waterproof: No
3. Handylandy Kids Garden Gloves: The best gardening gloves for kids
Price when reviewed: From £9.99 (pack of 2) | Check price at Amazon 
Working in the garden can be a fun and rewarding experience for all the family, and with these garden gloves from Handylandy, kids can get involved both safely and comfortably.
The gloves are breathable, machine washable and fast drying. The body of the glove is made from a stretchy fabric with a rubberised coating across the palm for durability and grip. There’s also an elasticated wrist cuff to ensure a snug fit. They come in a range of sizes, from ages 2-3 all the way up to 11-13 and each pack contains two pairs of gloves.
Key specs – Material: Foam latex; Sizes: ages 2-3 up to ages 11-13, Water resistant: Yes; Waterproof: No
4. Cosystove Heat Resistant Safety Gauntlets: The best heat-resistant gardening gloves
Price when reviewed: £11 | Check price at Amazon 
While heat resistance may not be the first thing that springs to mind when looking for gardening gloves, you’d be surprised how useful a heat-proof pair can be.
These thick leather safety gauntlets from Cosystove are ideal for barbecues, firepits, and bonfires. While you probably shouldn’t go so far as to handle hot coals with them, they’re ideal for comfortably stoking the flames, adding more fuel to the fire, and managing hot ashes. They come in pretty handy for indoor log burners, too.
Key specs – Material: Leather; Sizes: One size; Water resistant: Yes; Waterproof: No; Heat resistant: Yes
5. Exemplary Gardens Rose Pruning Gloves: The best long-sleeved gardening gloves
Price when reviewed: From £24 | Check price at Amazon 
When it comes to pruning roses, trimming back prickly shrubs and clearing brambles, sometimes standard gardening gloves aren’t quite up to the task. Long-sleeved gloves offer a superior level of protection from thorns and prickles, safeguarding your arms and wrists from nicks and scratches, rather than just your hands.
These gauntlets from Exemplary Gardens are tough enough to provide elbow-level protection from rose thorns and cacti but remain breathable and comfortable. Soft leather in the fingertips somewhat limits their overall level of protection, but it allows you to maintain a high level of finger dexterity for precision pruning.
Key specs – Material: Goatskin leather and cowhide; Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL; Water resistant: Yes; Waterproof: No
6. QEARSAFETY Garden Work Gloves: The best waterproof gardening gloves
Price when reviewed: From £6.99 | Check price at Amazon 
While most gloves on our list provide some water resistance, if you’re working in particularly damp environments, you’ll really benefit from a waterproof pair. These garden work gloves from QEARSAFETY are nylon lined with a latex coating, proving total waterproofing. They’re ideal for working around ponds, or for whenever the garden gets damp and muddy.
A textured coating across the palm and fingertips ensures a good amount of grip, even while working in the wet, while an elasticated cuff provides a snug fit.
Key specs – Material: Latex rubber; Sizes: S, M, L, XL; Water resistant: Yes; Waterproof: Yes
