The analogue gardener
2 July 2026
I walked past a house this week and a gardener was using a leaf blower in the coastal front garden. It roared like a chainsaw, and the stink of petrol filled the air as I passed. The leaves and cuttings from the garden were being blown into the street, where they whirled and flew in the estuary breeze, back onto the garden path, and into the others on each side of this one. I'm not usually one to berate other people in my profession, and of course there are bigger garden jobs that require machinery but I do always state to people that I am an analogue gardener - I don't use any power tools in my work - opting for hand tools instead.
It reminded me also of last autumn when a gardener (I have to say, male) who popped his head over the fence of the garden he was working in and saw me raking leaves. “You need a leafblower!” he chirped. I love raking leaves in autumn - it’s such a lovely, satisfying task, with a clear before-and-after sense of completion. It’s quiet and contemplative - and I’m not sure it’s even that much slower than blowing leaves around to then rake them up anyway. I digress!
After the chainsaw-esque leaf blower in the street, I walked to a job where a walkway into a property had become overgrown with a hedge of conifer, euonymus, ivy and choisiya all coated in a thick layer of bindweed. Shortly after, the hedge was flat again, bindweed threads pulled out, pathway swept and edges neat. All done with a pair of shears and secateurs, and a trusty brush.
We live in a very fast-paced world now - I feel the effects of it myself, getting impatient if a web page doesn’t load instantly for example. Being in nature reminds me to slow down - the plants aren’t rushing. They are quietly doing their thing, growing at their own pace that can’t be hurried along.
Since I have been a gardener, I notice much more. The birdsong, the wriggly worms as I dig, the sound that one single leaf can make scudding across a patio. I watch the sky changing, feel the breeze building and retreating, notice the shadows move around a garden as time passes in its unrushed way. A client will sometimes bring me out a cup of tea (and if I’m lucky a little treat too). I have a little radio with me sometimes (always Radio 4) so I can feel connected to the world, but otherwise my days are peaceful. I think that’s why the leaf blower jarred with me so much! I prefer to hear the snip of secateurs, the slice of shears. Mindful gardening, intentional snipping, the sound of a broom sweeping, and most importantly, a bit of peace in a busy world.