Complete Tool Catalogue
Monty Don's Gardening Tools
The complete catalogue of every gardening tool Monty Don uses, recommends, and relies upon at Longmeadow. Browse by category, compare prices, and find the exact tools seen on BBC Gardeners' World.
Browse by Category
The Essential Seven
Trowel
Sneeboer Trowel
If there is one tool that has become synonymous with Monty Don, it is the Sneeboer Old Dutch Style Planting Trowel. He has described it as his single favourite tool — the one he reaches for more than any other, the one he would save if his shed caught fire.
Spade
Digging Spade
The digging spade is the workhorse of any garden. It is the tool that breaks new ground, edges borders, digs planting holes for shrubs and trees, and turns over soil in spring and autumn.
Fork
Border Fork
The fork is the spade's essential partner. Where a spade cuts and slices, a fork loosens and aerates.
Secateurs
Bypass Secateurs
Secateurs are the gardener's constant companion. Monty Don keeps a pair in his back pocket at all times when he is in the garden, ready to deadhead a fading bloom, snip a wayward shoot, or take a cutting from a plant that catches his eye.
Rake
Garden Rake
The garden rake — a flat-headed soil rake, not a spring-tine leaf rake — is one of those tools that seems simple until you realise how many tasks it performs. Monty Don uses his rake constantly in spring when preparing seed beds, levelling soil, and creating that fine, crumbly surface tilth that seeds need to germinate successfully.
Hoe
Dutch Hoe
If there is one tool that separates a well-maintained garden from a neglected one, it is the hoe. Monty Don is a passionate advocate for regular hoeing, which he considers the single most effective and efficient method of weed control.
Knife
Garden Knife
The garden knife is perhaps the most overlooked tool on this list, yet Monty Don considers it essential. He carries a folding pocket knife whenever he is working outdoors, and it gets used dozens of times a day for tasks that would otherwise require fetching another tool.
Philosophy
Monty Don's Tool Philosophy
Monty Don has always been refreshingly clear about gardening tools: buy the best you can afford, look after them properly, and you will never need to buy them again. It is a philosophy rooted not in extravagance but in practicality. A cheap spade that bends at the neck after one season costs more in the long run than a well-forged one that lasts thirty years. This is the central lesson Monty returns to again and again on Gardeners' World, in his books, and in every interview he gives on the subject.
At Longmeadow, his garden in Herefordshire, Monty keeps his tool collection deliberately small. He has spoken many times about the trap of accumulating gadgets and specialist implements that promise to make gardening easier but end up gathering dust in the shed. Instead, he argues that seven core tools will cover virtually every task a gardener faces throughout the year. A spade, a fork, a rake, a hoe, a trowel, secateurs, and a knife. Master the use of these seven, he says, and there is very little you cannot accomplish in the garden.
What sets Monty apart from many gardening presenters is his emphasis on the relationship between gardener and tool. He talks about how a well-used trowel develops a patina, how the handle of a spade wears to fit the shape of your hand over time. Tools are not disposable commodities in his world. They are companions in the garden, objects that improve with age and use. His beloved Sneeboer trowel, for instance, has been with him for well over two decades. The stainless steel has been polished by thousands of hours of contact with soil, and the handle has darkened with the oils from his hands.
Maintenance is the other pillar of Monty's philosophy. He cleans every tool after each use, wiping off soil and moisture before hanging them up. In winter, he sharpens blades, oils wooden handles with linseed oil, and checks for any looseness or wear. This ritual of care is, for Monty, part of the pleasure of gardening itself. It is a moment of quiet reflection at the end of the day, a way of honouring the work done and preparing for the work to come. His tools are always sharp, always clean, and always ready. That discipline is what separates a gardener who fights their tools from one who works in harmony with them.