Gardening gloves are something every gardener needs. No questions. No buts.
As fun as gardening can be, it will eventually take its toll on you. That’s why proper gloves are so important, as they protect your hands, helping you work safer and more efficiently.
Garden gloves protect your hands from all sorts of nasty problems including thorns, cuts from branches and twigs, bug bites, and irritation from harmful weeds.
Being so useful, it makes perfect sense you should only consider wearing the best. The better the gardening glove, the more protected you are!
The best gloves for gardening should always be:
- Comfortable to wear for long periods
- Durable, and last years of use
- Made of high-quality material including leather and synthetics, which protect hands
- Include elbow cuffs which protect forearms
- Flexible, allowing you to hold gardening tools or move fingers freely
Gardening gloves come in a variety of sizes, styles, and materials. With so much choice, it can be hard to find the best gloves on the market for your needs.
With that in mind, we’ve hand-picked 10 of our favorite products on the market for you to consider. We’re confident each pair of gloves will help protect your hands and arms from scratches, thorns, and pesky bug bites.
10 of the Best Gardening Gloves
1. Legacy Gardens Leather Gardening Gloves for Women and Men
Say goodbye to nicks, scratches, and thorns with the ultimate protection – these leather gardening gloves from Legacy Gardens.
Made from A-Grade goatskin leather, these gloves are soft, breathable, and won’t sweat your hands even when worn for long periods or during warm weather.
These gloves are particularly well suited for skin-sensitive hands as your hands will always remain clean and soft throughout gardening.
We’re very impressed with their solid design; an extra-tough double-stitched layer around the thumb and top two fingers means you’re supported where it matters most.
The extra padding in these gloves’ design also ensures long-service and durability, as they are puncture-resistant. This makes them a great investment for future gardening.
Lastly, these gloves have a neutral, classic design to them which means they are suitable for both men and women of all ages. You can prune and weed roses, cacti, and other prickly plants without any fear of thorns hurting you.
Pros
- Made of A-grade goatskin leather
- Effective gloves for sensitive hands
- Extra-tough double-stitched layer adds protection around the thumb and top two fingers
- Extra-padding for year-on-year use
2. Thorn Proof Goatskin Leather Gardening Gloves from Exemplary Gardens
Made from 100% natural premium goat grain, these gloves are puncture resistant and will keep your hands safe from scratches, thorns, and painful stings.
First, let’s talk about their impressive design. The gloves are made from cowhide suede and allow you to deadhead roses and reach through other thorny bushes with peace of mind.
We love how dexterous these gloves are, allowing you to move your fingers when precision is needed, for example when plating seeds or pruning delicate flowers. An extended split suede cuff is also included which helps keep your forearms protected – which is essential if you’re pruning rose bushes and other prickly shrubs.
The texture of these gloves also means they are the ideal protection for gardeners with sensitive skin, thanks to a buttery soft lanolin material. Gloves will always help moisturize hands and keep them supple, even during tough labor.
Lastly, with an ergonomic design, the thumbs of these gloves make it easier to grip garden tools; making these gloves ideal for people suffering from arthritis.
Pros
- Made of premium goat grain material
- Extended suede cuff protects arms (made of cowhide)
- Dexterous fingers allow you to garden with high accuracy
- Suitable for people with arthritis or sensitive skin
3. Pigskin Gardening Gloves for Men and Women
Offering you total protection and comfort, these gardening gloves from HANDLANDY will have you feeling indestructible against every thorn in your flower bed.
First, let’s talk about how well designed these gloves truly are. Made from high-quality pigskin, gloves are highly porous too. As well as being protected, hands will always be kept dry, soft, cool, and comfortable.
The premium pigskin also ensures wear resistance and puncture resistance which is important when investing in any garden tool. This hardiness also ensures your hands are never marked or prodded by thorns, holly bushes, or brambles again.
We love that these gloves also come with extended leather cuffs. These cuffs safeguard your arms when reaching deep through prickly bushes and weeds. They also protect skin from irritating plants such as poison ivy and poison oak.
With padded palms and fingertips, your hands are at all times well-protected. You can also lift and use garden tools whilst fully gloved with incredible ease thanks to the gloves’ dexterous, ergonomic design.
Pros
- Made of premium pigskin which is porous for hands
- Extended cuff protects arms
- Padded palms and fingertips for comfort, protection, and flexibility
4. Leather Gardening Gloves for Women and Men from Exemplary Gardens
With adjustable fasteners and breathable spandex, your hands will be fully protected from any prickly plant or bush, thanks to these gloves from Exemplary Gardens.
Made of genuine goatskin, both palms and fingertips are kept safe and thorn-free. The spandex back to gloves allows your hands to breathe and keeps fingers feeling fresh and nimble.
Combined with adjustable fasteners to ensure a tight fit, your hands will remain comfortable throughout any gardening task, big or small. This means you can perform more precise gardening, such as planting seeds or pruning.
Finally, as these gloves come in a beautiful unisex color, they can suit both men and women of all ages. The brown color also ensures dirt won’t show up and stain the gloves in-between cleaning.
Pros
- Made of premium goatskin
- Adjustable fasteners ensure a tight, comfortable fit
- Spandex improves dexterity and allows you to hold other garden tools easily
- Unisex color is suitable for both men and women and hides stains easily
5. Long Sleeve, Thornproof Gardening Gloves from Megawodar
Made of premium materials and fabric, these gardening gloves from Megawodar are the ultimate defense against thorns, cuts, and scratches from your garden.
We love how well-made these gloves are. With padded palms that are thornproof and puncture-resistant, gloves have reinforced fingertips which ensures even the most sensitive part of your hand is fully protected.
The gloves themselves are made of premium oxford fabric and artificial leather, providing strength, durability, and a long lifespan. Included with the gloves are elbow-length gauntlet cuffs, which are incredibly useful in protecting forearms from scratches and cuts whilst pruning deep into thorny bushes.
The ergonomic design of these gloves means you will always have excellent grip throughout. This allows you to hold on to garden tools with ease and perform a variety of gardening tasks with ease.
These gloves are specially designed for gardeners with sensitive skin or who may suffer from arthritis, as they have high elasticity for both comfort and flexibility.
Pros
- Made with oxford cloth and artificial leather
- High elasticity offers great comfort
- Ergonomic design allows you to hold garden tools with ease
- Suitable for people with arthritis or sensitive skin
- Long forearm protection with the cuffs
6. FZTEY Heavy-Duty Gardening Work Gloves For Men & Women
Made of high-quality suede cowhide leather, these gardening gloves from FZTEY are everything you need to keep your hands well protected when gardening.
First, these are very practically designed gloves, with extra palm and forefinger protection to protect the areas most commonly in contact with thorns, branches, and other sharp material.
The extra palm patch and durable gunn-cut also means these gloves are long-lasting and reliable.
We also love their clever design. With the seams set away from the palm, these gloves have superior durability and improved dexterity than rival gloves. This improved flexibility also means you can garden in a variety of different ways, from planting seedlings to weeding, to careful pruning.
Gloves are thick and sturdy on the outside where it counts but are soft and supple on the inside. This means hands are supported and comforted, drastically reducing hand fatigue.
They have both puncture- and cut-resistance, and also thermal protection and insulation properties making them an ideal glove to use in any weather.
Pros
- Thermal protection and insulation makes them ideal for any weather
- Made of high-quality cowhide leather
- Improved flexibility and dexterity with seams aimed away from palm
- Extra palm patch and gunn-cut improves durability
7. HANDLANDY Women’s Gardening Gloves
As one of the best women’s gardening gloves on the market, these gloves from HANDYLANDY are a premium investment for your garden.
Made of heavy-duty, split-grain cowhide leather, these gloves offer unmatched protection, whether you’re cutting, pruning, or clearing your garden of weeds.
Thorn- and puncture-proof, these gloves protect your hands and arms in equal measure as far up as your elbow. They also save skin from coming in contact with irritating plants such as poison ivy and poison oak, as well as abrasive materials such as sharp branches, twigs, and painful insect bites.
All the while, you’ll have incredible grip thanks to their sleek, nimble design, as you can handle a variety of gardening tools with incredible ease, even whilst gloved.
Lastly, these gloves perform well in both hot and cold temperatures. This is important when you consider the two most important months of the gardening year when you’ll be cleaning and clearing in winter, and planting and weeding in summer.
Pros
- Made of heavy-duty, split-grain cowhide leather
- The simple, sleek design allows for great control of fingers
- Suits both hot and cold temperatures
- Made for women, so has a range of suitable sizes
8. DIGZ Touch Screen compatible High-Performance Women’s Gardening Gloves
Work gloves just got a lot smarter, thanks to these innovative touchscreen-friendly women’s gardening gloves from Digz.
The signature feature of these gloves is most definitely the touchscreen-compatible fingertips. You can take pictures, answer your smartphone, and check messages all the while staying fully protected in the garden.
Touchscreen-compatible is so important these days, where other garden tools you are using have touch screen interfaces and you’ll need to operate them whilst pruning or weeding.
Technology aside, these gloves are well designed and will protect you from pain with ease. For example, the polyurethane palm support adds incredible strength to these gloves and gives you improved control and grip throughout gardening.
The soft mesh back allows hands to breathe easily, preventing sweat and irritation. We also love that these gloves come with an adjustable wrist strap, which ensures the perfect fit for safety and comfort.
Made of synthetic leather, these gloves have all the strengths of traditional leather but are easier to clean and even more durable.
Pros
- Touchscreen-compatible fingertips allow you to work your smartphone
- Adjustable wrist strap ensures a comfortable fit every time
- Made of durable synthetic leather
9. AmazonBasics Leather Gardening Gloves with Forearm Protection
These sleek leather gardening gloves from AmazonBasics form the ultimate defense against thorns, stings, bug bites, and more.
Made of durable full-grain goat and cow leather, these gloves will never puncture. And thanks to their ergonomic thumb design, the gloves are incredibly dexterous; you can hold and use a variety of gardening tools with ease.
The padding in the palm area is made of a strong synthetic fiber called aramid, making it very durable and effective in protecting your hand from prickles, thorns, sharp sticks, and more.
These gloves are the perfect support for pruning, weeding, cutting, and removing shrubs, as the included elbow-length leather gauntlet cuffs ensure your skin is never in contact with pesky irritates like poison oak, poison ivy, or insects.
Pros
- Made of durable full-grain goat and cow leather
- Ergonomic thumb design improves dexterity
- Elbow-length leather gauntlets protect forearms
10. G & F 5013M JustForKids Kids Genuine Leather Work Gloves, Kids Garden Gloves, 4-6 Years Old
Do your kids want to be outside in the garden with you? But are you worried about protecting them? Then you need these leather garden gloves from G & F.
With these gloves, your child can work side-by-side with you weeding a flower bed, pruning bushes or simply planting seedlings. All the while your child’s hands remain protected.
These gloves are made from genuine suede cowhide leather and are specially designed to prevent cuts, bites, dirt, stings, and more from hurting your little ones.
We love how child-friendly these gloves are; from their appropriate sizing to making them practical and dexterous – which is very important when dealing with smaller fingers.
The gloves are incredibly soft and flexible, with no bulkiness or stiffness you would normally associate with leather. Coupled with an easy slip-on cuff, your child will always feel comfortable wearing them, even for long period. And what’s more, they’re easy to clean!
Pros
- Child-friendly work gloves
- Made from genuine suede cowhide leather
- Lightweight, with no bulkiness or stiffness
What are the Features of the Best Gardening Glove?
To make an informed decision, let’s take a look at what features the best gardening gloves have.
1. Comfort
First of all, comfort is an essential part of every great gardening glove. After all, your hands need all the support they can get when doing tough tasks like pruning and weeding.
A comfortable pair of gloves will also reduce hand fatigue, allowing you to the garden for longer. Pay close attention to how the gloves are made, including;
Fit – choose a size which your hand can comfortably fit in. Many gloves come with adjustable fasteners for an even tighter fit.
Grip – which helps you hold on to gardening tools easier
Ergonomic – allowing your skin to breathe, and your fingers to move around.
Comfort is also very important if you or the person you are buying the gloves for suffers from arthritis. In these instances, it’s important to consider a glove which is specially designed to support bones and joints and keeps your hands and joints warm.
2. Protection
Next, consider how well protected you will be with the gloves.
Many of the best gardening clothes offer both thorn and puncture protection which are essential features.
Thorn protection stops nasty, painful prickles from hurting your hand and fingers. Puncture protection ensures the glove does not get damaged in the process.
Also consider elbow cuffs/guards, which are included with many of the gloves we’ve recommended. These travel up to your elbow and offer more complete protection for your arms from scratches and cuts.
Elbow guards are especially useful if you are pruning larger bushes, trees or reaching into tightly-enclosed spaces. They are also advised if your garden is prone to poison oak or poison ivy which might irritate your skin on contact.
3. Size matters!
It doesn’t matter how great your garden gloves are, if they can’t fit you properly they won’t work properly. Some gardening gloves are specially designed with a woman’s hand or a child’s size in mind.
When picking from the best garden gloves, pay close attention to each product’s size chart as sometimes these can vary.
As a general rule of thumb, a glove can fit you well if you can comfortably make a fist-shape with your hand whilst it’s on.
4. High-quality Materials – Leather
Because of how often your gloves will be used, it’s important to consider how well made your new purchase is.
The majority of our garden glove recommendations above are leather garden gloves, or synthetic leather material, for 4 simple reasons:
Added protection – leather is a hardy, resistant material which can negate sore thorns and prickles with ease.
Added grip – this is especially important for holding and using garden tools.
Added durability – leather is longer-lasting than standard textiles, and as such your garden gloves will last a long time.
Added functionality – leather gloves are ideal for operating your smartphone while gardening, allowing you to take calls, send messages, or take those important photographs of your garden!
Conclusion
No matter what gardening you are doing, you will no doubt put on a pair of gloves.
But just like any gardening tool, you need to invest in the best, to expect the best.
That’s why it’s so important to find the best gardening gloves because the results will transform you and your garden.
Whilst gardening gloves come in a variety of sizes, there’s no mistaking quality. Remember, the best gardening gloves help you work smarter, not harder, by protecting your fingers, hands, and arms from thorns, stings, and cuts.
They will also:
- Comforting your hand, reduce fatigue and allow you to work longer
- Keeps fingers and hands warm during colder weather, and cool during hot weather
- Allowing you to hold other gardening tools with ease
We’re confident the 10 gloves we’ve reviewed are the best choice for you and your garden. Time to say goodbye to painful thorns, troublesome prickles, and pesky bug bites – you are in safe hands here… literally!
Other Garden Tools: