Best gardening gloves 2022: 8 top designs that look as good as they grip

Take a look at our pick of the best gardening gloves that offer both style and functionality for your fingers

Best gardening gloves
(Image credit: Amazon)

Buying the best gardening gloves can be just as much of an essential purchase for any gardener as choosing a set of great tools. Whether you’re a keen gardener or prefer to just potter with your plants outdoors, picking the perfect pair for your pinkies can be a tricky task to tackle. 

With all the choice available, it can be easy to find a set that is either pretty or functional, yet rarely both. And if you've ever tried to wrestle your best secateurs while wearing oversized (or undersized) gloves, you'll know that finding a pair to fit your hands is also a huge consideration.

So if you're looking for the best gardening gloves that your money can buy, you should always consider a range of factors before you take the plunge - these cover size, durability, grip and last but not least, their overall look. 

We’ve had a good search of the net to find the retailers offering the best gardening gloves available now and have flagged up our favourite picks below. We've pointed out the pros and cons of each to help you make your choice and included handy deal widgets on each, that scan the net daily list to find the very best price available. 

We've also included top buying tips to help you find the best gardening gloves at the bottom of the page, if you want to delve deeper into finding your ideal pair. So the sooner you scroll down to discover the best gardening gloves for your needs, the sooner you can return to tending your garden in complete comfort.

The best gardening gloves 2022

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best gardening gloves

(Image credit: Crocus)

1. Briers Sicilian lemon gauntlets

Best gardening gloves for tough tasks: these summery citrus gauntlets give you plenty of added protection

Specifications

Best for: Value and all-round protection
Palm padding: Suede, cotton
Size: Medium

Reasons to buy

+
Protection from nettles and thorns
+
Extra-long cuffs

Reasons to avoid

-
Too padded for lighter work

If your garden features a wide range of growth, from thorny bushes to oversized hedges, then these hardwearing gauntlet gloves are the perfect pick for you.

Material

Made from suede and cotton, with an extra-long cuff to protect your wrists and arms from scratches, thorns, stings and irritation, these gauntlet-style gloves are brilliantly durable. The thick suede fabric on the palms and fingertips will keep your skin safe from any harm, while the pretty pattern keeps them from looking too menacing.

Extra benefits

While it may not be high on your list of priorities when you're looking for a set of the best gardening gloves, a good-looking pair that also works well is a win-win in our eyes. We love the fresh lemon print on these gloves, which makes us think of warm, Mediterranean sunshine on even the gloomiest of days.

Burgon & Ball Love the Glove Deco gardening gloves cut out

(Image credit: Burgonandball.com)

2. Burgon & Ball Love the Glove Deco gardening gloves

Best lightweight gloves for all tasks: for hardwearing yet comfortable all-round protection

Specifications

Best for: A great all-round buy that suits tough garden work
Material: Artificial suede, cotton, leather
Size: Two (ladies only): small to medium and medium to large

Reasons to buy

+
Award-winning design
+
Very comfortable
+
Wrist strap for added security

Reasons to avoid

-
Leather trim not vegan-friendly

Burgon & Ball’s award-winning Love the Glove range is popular for a reason: with its smart, sleek design and durable, yet flexible construction, they're a great pair to wear for pretty much any garden job.

Material

Featuring an artificial suede palm padding, soft cotton backs and a real leather trim, these gardening gloves manage to do two things at once: they will provide plenty of protection for tougher tasks that may involve wood, stones and thorns (such as when you're learning how to prune roses), but still remain flexible enough for those gentler jobs.

Extra benefits

These gloves don’t just look great, they’re designed with a host of clever technical details that make wearing them much more comfortable as you work. These include a handy wrist strap for keeping dirt from falling inside and a special mesh material between the fingers to stop your hands from overheating.

Gold Leaf Tough Touch gardening gloves

(Image credit: Amazon)

3. Gold Leaf Tough Touch gloves

Best heavy duty gardening gloves: suitable for all pruning tasks and approved by the RHS

Specifications

Best for: Tough gardening tasks, including pruning
Material : Leather
Size: Men's

Reasons to buy

+
Endorsed by the RHS
+
Extra-long, roomy cuffs
+
Hard-wearing material 
+
Water-resistant

Reasons to avoid

-
Not vegan-friendly
-
Can feel tight at first

Gold Leaf gardening gloves are endorsed by the RHS, so you can be safe in the knowledge that you’re getting a great product that works well for a wide range of gardening tasks. You’ll be able to tackle tricky pruning tasks with ease if you have a pair of these to wear.

Material

Made from leather, these gardening gloves offer a high level of protection against thorns and other garden materials. The leather is treated to ensure it is water resistant and the gloves are incredibly warm and hardwearing, so they’re a good choice for autumn and winter when the weather may be on the cooler side. You may find these gloves have a snug fit when you first use them, but the leather will soon soften and stretch to give you the perfect fit.

Extra benefits

The extended cuff on the gloves means your wrists and lower arms will be protected from thorns and branches, so you don’t have to worry about getting scratched when carrying out your gardening tasks. The cuff is also roomy enough to ensure you can pull it up over your sleeves too. 

Also available in a smaller ladies specific size.

best gardening gloves in pink with a flamingo pattern

(Image credit: Robert Dyas)

4. Briers Flamboya Flamingo Tuff Rigger Garden Gloves

Best gardening gloves for all tasks: ideal for most jobs around the garden

Specifications

Best for: Light, low-level weeding and potting
Material: Suede, polyester, cotton
Size: Medium

Reasons to buy

+
Very comfortable
+
Excellent price
+
Good grip

Reasons to avoid

-
Unsuitable for very tough garden work

If you're looking for a pair of gloves that will keep you covered for most garden tasks, from how to get rid of weeds to repotting, pruning and cutting – then this bargain buy could be perfect for you.

Material

Featuring tough palms that protect your hands from scratches and scrapes, these jolly gloves are made from machine washable, durable suede and cotton, so you can keep them looking good as new, even after a tough round of weeding. 

Extra benefits

The wrist and thorn guards offer extra protection from unruly garden growth, while the lining is super soft and comfortable. And if you're in the market for a colourful design that makes you smile, you can't go wrong with this great value pair.

best gardening gloves

(Image credit: Harrod Horticultural)

5. Bradleys Floral English Leather & Linen Gardening Gloves

Best padded gardening gloves: long-cuffed gloves with hardwearing padding

Specifications

Best for: Handmade quality
Palm padding: Leather
Size: Small

Reasons to buy

+
Protection from nettles and thorns
+
Extra-long cuffs

Reasons to avoid

-
Not flexible enough for some tasks
-
Expensive
-
Leather not vegan-friendly

Ideal for those with smaller grips, these gardening gloves have serious reinforcement in the form of leather padding and long cuffs – perfect for even the toughest of tasks.

Material

These gloves are great for tackling thorny plants and doing heavy lifting of stones and branches, thanks to the soft waterproof leather on the palms. The cuffs are made from linen and they offer light and breathable protection for your arms - ideal for those more involved garden tasks.

Extra benefits

While they may be on the pricier side than others, these elegant gloves are handmade in Shropshire so if you like supporting local goods, they're well worth the investment. Also, as they're handmade, each pair is unique with a slightly different design.

best gardening gloves

(Image credit: Amazon)

6. Digz 7607-23 Large Women's Gardening Gloves with Touchscreen Fingers

Best touchscreen-friendly gardening gloves: stay connected while pottering in the garden

Specifications

Best for: Touchscreen compatibility
Palm padding: Faux leather
Size: Large

Reasons to buy

+
Touchscreen-friendly
+
Machine washable
+
Comfortable stretch

Reasons to avoid

-
Tight fit

If you tend to be always checking you phone as you do the gardening, then save yourself the hassle of having to constantly remove and replace your gloves by investing in a pair with touchscreen friendly-fingertips.

Material

Featuring reinforced faux-leather padding on the palms to help protect your hands from common garden irritants, like thorns, nettles and stones, this pair also boasts a handy velcro strap to ensure a snug fit on your wrists. Furthermore, the canvas back has plenty of stretch for a comfortable and pliable fit.

Extra benefits

Remove the inconvenience of having to de-glove to answer your phone or Google what kind of bug you've found on your plant with these touchscreen gloves. They're compatible with any smartphone screen, though you might want to make sure they're relatively clean first before you swipe.

best gardening gloves

(Image credit: Tooled Up)

7. Gardena Gardening and Soil Gloves

Best non-slip, water-repellant gardening gloves: for flexibility and breathability

Specifications

Best for: Lighter gloves that keep you dry
Material: Elastic nylon knit
Size: Medium

Reasons to buy

+
Non-slip coating
+
Water-resistant
+
Very comfortable
+
Lightweight and flexible

Reasons to avoid

-
Unsuitable for tougher tasks like working with thorns

Another brilliant all-rounder of a product, these lightweight gloves from Gardena offer protection from all but the toughest of garden tasks.

Material

With a flexible nylon and elastic knit construction, these gloves are perfectly suitable for delicate work that requires dexterity, like weeding, potting and pruning. The non-toxic latex coating also protects palms from getting wet and creates a handy non-slip barrier, so you won't lose grip as you work. 

Extra benefits

Ever get sweaty hands from gardening in thick, heavy gloves? The material used in this pair is breathable, so they're ideal for working in hot weather as well as in cool. 

CharGuy gardening gloves

(Image credit: Amazon)

8. CharGuy Long Sleeve Gardening Gloves

Best long sleeve gardening gloves: to protect your arms at all costs

Specifications

Best for: Messy, scratchy, or skin-irritating yard work
Palm padding: Smooth Nitrile-Coated Palm
Size: One-size

Reasons to buy

+
Full arm protection
+
No-slip grip 
+
Breathable polyester sleeve

Reasons to avoid

-
Nitrile coated palm my crack between fingers

Don't want to scratch yourself on brambles? Want to protect your arms from poison ivy or chiggers? Need to do heavy duty planting but don't want to wear a long-sleeve shirt? The CharGuy Long Sleeve Gardening gloves are perfect for you. 

Material

These gloves are made with polyester sleeves that go well past your elbow, protecting most of your arms as you work around the yard. The polyester sleeve is as breathable as you might expect. Your arms may get a bit warm as you work, but not more so than wearing a long-sleeve shirt would do. The nitrile coated palms offer great grip and flexibility. You won't have trouble flexing your fingers or moving them as freely as you would without gloves. Just take note that the nitrile may crack between fingers. 

Extra benefits

CharGuy designed these gloves with a tighter elastic around the wrist and more space around the arm, ensuring they fit different arm shapes. The tight elastic along the end of the glove prevents it from sliding down. 

How to buy the best gardening gloves

washing line with several pairs of colourful gardening gloves hanging from it

(Image credit: Future)

So much more than just an accessory, the best gardening gloves are a must for any comfortable outdoor work. A great pair of gardening gloves are so much more than just their looks though, so there are several things that you should look out for when you’re buying.

Material

We’ve listed what materials each pair of gloves we’ve featured is made from to give you a clear understanding of the conditions they’re suitable for. Generally speaking, more durable materials like leather are perfect for people whose gardening tasks include cutting back trees and bushes and moving stones. 

If you tend to stick to lighter garden tasks, like weeding and repotting, then you can get away with gloves made from cotton and other such materials – though there’s no harm in going for a little padding, just in case.

Coverage

Some of the gloves we’ve chosen as our best buys have extra long cuffs, which are particularly useful if you’re dealing with trees, shrubs and thorny plants – they’ll protect from scratches and scrapes and will prevent your sleeves from getting dirty, too when you're using the best garden shears or the best loppers

They do tend to make movement a touch more difficult, though, so do consider whether you’ll need that extra protection or not. If you have the budget, it’s worth investing in both a long and short pair of gloves so you can swap between the two depending on the task.

Extra benefits

In truth, you don’t need to pay too much attention to the extra, hi-tech features some retailers add to their designs: unless you’re a gardening pro, you likely won’t find much use to them. 

Some features, though, can increase comfort levels when you’re gardening. Breathable materials, for example, are extremely welcome in the summer months when your hands and palms can get easily sweaty.

Size

Always, always check the size of the gloves before you buy. Too small, and they're unusable. Too large and they make every task virtually impossible. Look for a pair that give a neat fit, akin to a pair of woolly gloves, to ensure you can move your hands freely and comfortably as you work. 

Ellen Finch

After a stint writing for true life titles, Ellen made her venture into the world of interiors magazines in 2017 on Real Homes magazine where she is now deputy editor. She's a fan of clever tips and tricks for renters, and has a special interest in sustainability in the home. While she's waiting for a garden to call her own, Ellen keeps herself busy with her collection of houseplants – 28 at the time of writing, but ever-growing. She also enjoys helping out at her grandad's allotment and has made friends with the local cat along the way.