Anyone who knows me well is aware that whenever I pull out a tissue (or a mask) from the pocket of any random item of clothing, there may well quite literally, be strings attached.

I always carry lengths of string in my pockets - it is one of the easiest ways to garden in a five minute way; you see something that needs tying to its support, and immediately you can do it then and there, without hunting for string and scissors. If you want to feel accomplished and organised and just CLEVER and BRILLIANT, then I highly recommend keeping string in your pockets at all times.

There are lots of tying in options out there, but I vere, as always, away from single use plastic for obvious reasons.

Garden Twine

My favourite string is this garden twine in a tin from Nutscene. The tin makes it easy to cut lengths of string and, well, it looks gorgeous. Colour-wise, I always choose black or natural (I don’t know why, but I have an inexplicable hatred of green string) but Nutscene has loads of beautiful colours - I particularly love this little pack of different colours which I use for birthday and Christmas wrapping. Note - if you are thinking of ordering more than one Nutscene product then use their website which has free delivery for orders over £20.

..and the DIY version

An old - or rarely used - teapot is the perfect string dispenser - just put the ball of string and thread the end through the spout. (see pic above)

Soft Ties

These soft ties, from Haxnicks are really good if you have lots of tying in to do and are worried about damaging soft plant material. There is no tying involved, just twisting. The best thing about this is that you can clean it and re-use it.

…and the DIY version

For a more permanent option on more established plants, a length of strong wire, housed inside a piece of old hosepipe works really well. The hosepipe prevents the wire from digging into the trunk or stem, and this will last as long as you like (depending on how well you twist the ends together).

Biostretch ties

If you have serious tying in to do on multiple plants, then these Biostretch stretchy ties are a great option. I love the way they grow with the circumference of the plant’s stem or trunk, and they are also mostly biodegradable (not completely, but mostly).

…and the DIY version

A have been known on more than one occasion, to use an old pair of tights or stockings to tie things up. These have the advantage of being second hand, and completely free, and a stocking tie is of course stretchy, which means that it will allow your plants room for growth. You can get several ties out of a pair of tights, cut width-wise across the leg, as it were.

x Laetitia