Spolight on Feverfew
Warm Hands, Muddy Boots and a Very Big Pumpkin
If you've been following what we've been up to at Gardening Club, you'll know that we've been having a bit of a battle with the brambles.
And when I say brambles, I don't mean a few little wispy ones that you can snip away with your secateurs. I mean enormous, vicious things that seem absolutely determined to fight back. We've had scratched arms, prickled fingers and quite a lot of muttering under our breath!
I was chatting to Chloe from Feverfew Garden Co. and sent her a message telling her about our bramble battle and all the brilliant ladies who turn up every week and just get stuck in.
She immediately said, "We need to send you some gloves."
And that, for me, tells you quite a lot about Feverfew.
A few days later a lovely parcel of gloves arrived for the Gardening Club ladies, including some of their winter gardening gloves. And could the timing have been any better?
This week it was absolutely chucking it down. It was cold, wet and muddy and suddenly felt VERY autumnal.
But there was no hiding indoors because I had a rather important job to do. It was finally time to harvest one of the pumpkins I've been rather proudly growing.
So there I was, standing in the rain clutching my pumpkin, wearing my new Feverfew winter gloves and feeling very pleased with myself.
And, I have to say, the gloves were brilliant.
They're waterproof, insulated and lovely and warm, with really good grip, so while they were originally sent to help us tackle those pesky brambles, they turned out to be just what I needed for a very soggy morning in the garden too.
What I really like about Feverfew, though, is the story behind the gloves.
The company was started after founder Rachel realised that so much gardening kit just isn't really designed with women in mind.
Hands up if you've ever worn gardening gloves where the fingers are about an inch longer than your actual fingers?
Exactly.
Feverfew set out to make gardening gloves that actually fit women's hands, look good and, most importantly, do the job they're supposed to do.
And it's not just gloves. They now have a lovely range of things for women who garden, including sweatshirts, T-shirts, hats, hand care, growing kits, gardening gifts and hampers. There are lots of clever little details too, from padded palms and knuckles to touchscreen fingertips and clips that keep your gloves together.
Because where DOES that other gardening glove disappear to?
But actually, the reason I wanted to tell you about Feverfew isn't really just about the gloves.
It's about the people behind them.
Behind Feverfew are Rachel and Chloe, two sassy women who genuinely love gardening too. Rachel founded Feverfew after becoming frustrated that she simply couldn't find gardening gloves designed properly for women's hands, and Chloe is now very much part of the Feverfew team and the lovely person I found myself chatting to about our bramble battle.
Rachel is up in Orkney and loves growing things she can eat, while Chloe is in Suffolk, loves her dahlias and apparently makes a pretty good chutney from her homegrown tomatoes.
They also talk a lot about building a community of women who love gardening, growing and being outside.
And THAT is the bit that really struck a chord with me.
Because that's exactly what our Gardening Club has become.
Of course we grow things. We sow seeds, plant vegetables, pull weeds, tackle those blooming brambles and occasionally stand triumphantly in the rain holding a pumpkin.
But really, it's about the people.
It's about women getting together every week, having a laugh, learning from each other, getting outside, getting muddy and making friends while we do it.
There's something really lovely about that.
So when another little community of gardening women hears about ours and says, "We'd like to help," I think that's pretty special.
And I think this is where we can return the favour.
We hear so much about supporting small independent businesses, but these are exactly the ones I think we SHOULD be supporting. Businesses run by real people who care about what they're making and who genuinely want to be part of the gardening community.
Feverfew supported our Gardening Club simply because Chloe heard what we were doing and wanted to help.
So I'm very happy to give them a little shout back.
Go and have a nose at Feverfew, particularly if there's a gardening woman in your life who deserves a present... or, frankly, if that gardening woman is you. Check out some of their cool gardening slogan T-shirts.
As for me, I've got warm hands, a very large pumpkin and some unfinished business with a bramble.
Bring it on.
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