* I was invited to the Garden Press Event, a one day show which connects garden product suppliers with garden media, therefore I’m marking my blog posts from the event as 'Ad’ though as usual my views and opinions are very much my own.

One of the most enjoyable parts of gardening for me is a good potter. The ability to lose an hour (or two) to doing just that and to be productive (mainly) at the same time is a great feeling. Don’t get me wrong, seeing the results of your hard work, eating anything you’ve grown and enjoying the flowers is good, but a good potter is priceless - and good for your soul.

So whether you want to potter in the greenhouse, sowing seeds, weeding, tending or watering your plants, filling the bird feeders or however you potter, it’s time well spent, and it can be even better - and easier - with the right tools, and all the better for ones which look good too.

There were a number of brands at the show - all household names - that were displaying some gorgeous items, and I’ll share a selection of those by Burgon & Ball, Crocus and Dobbies in this post which you can expect to see in garden centres and online this season.

A colourful display of planters, pots, watering cans, gardening gloves & a green house caddy — BURGON & BALL

I loved the bold stripes of the planters from Burgon & Ball, and I’ve got my eye on some of these more decorative items for my ‘front of house’ greenhouse when I get around to it. But also the hand tools look great and the wooden handles are always a favourite, as they feel so good in your hands (obviously without the functional gardening gloves!).

The Crocus stand had a lot of items that caught my eye - and it’s also likely to be a dangerous place for my purse at some point. I loved the fat ball feeders and the tea light holders, which will bring immediate height and impact to any part of your garden. I’d be tempted to use these in pots around the patio so that we get to see them as much as possible.

But there was so much else - mini Victorian Greenhouses, wire cloches and the tiniest terracotta plant pots, along with the pretty yet entirely functional sieve and dibbers. It’s just as well these things weren’t for sale on the day, as otherwise I’d have been turning up to meet MOH for dinner fully laden!

I was also pleased to see the mushroom kits, which MOH has toyed with previously. So far we’ve resisted, but I think there is some mushroom growing in our future at some point. Though I can’t help but remember that Clarkson’s Farm episode where he is inundated with mushrooms, as of course he never does anything by halves does he?

And finally to the Dobbies stand which had cleverly included bird song as part of their stand - and indoors in February, before any hint of spring showing itself, that was very welcome.

It’s a big year for Dobbies as they are celebrating their 160th year of helping British gardens to grow - they have released a heritage range to celebrate this which takes its inspiration from the roots of their business as a seed merchant. The print was chosen by customers from a selection of designs from an original Dobbie & Co seed catalogue dating from 1906.

You’ll see the heritage print on their limited edition collection including tote bags, cushions, candles, throws and more - and given that the design is over a hundred years old, I think it still looks quite modern - and it’s a good sized tote bag, which I used on the day and have used since too.

As I said, you really can’t beat spending an hour (or two) pottering, trust me.