How to make your garden tools last longer: expert tips for tackling rust, grime and blunt blades

Secateur and strimmer seen better days? Give your tools some TLC with these tried-and-tested tricks

• How to get your garden ready for autumn

Garden tools have it rough, there’s no getting around it. Dragged through the mud, blunted by branches, clogged with clippings and exposed to some of the most wearing of environmental conditions – namely rain, sap and soil – you can’t help but feel the average spanner gets an easier ride than a pair of secateurs.

And yet gardening tools are among the most cherished and expensive of maintenance equipment, with popular brands such as Niwaki and Felco catering to a booming luxury market with embellished components such as leather and rattan handles, and blades forged in the mountains of Yamagata, Japan.