I've Been Gardening for 15 Years and These Are the Absolute BEST Gloves (2025)

With a spandex back and a hook-and-loop closure around the wrists to keep out dirt, these work gloves are a good choice for most garden chores. They’re also made from recycled plastic beverage bottles, which gives them a nice sustainability edge, and are my overall pick for the best gardening gloves to buy.

“They’ve got the right balance for thickness,” says Justin Hancock, horticulturalist with Costa Farms. “The gloves are durable and protective without being unwieldy. The padding in the palm makes activities like pruning easier, and the fabric along the knuckles adds protection where you usually don’t find it.”

These gloves can stand up to wear and tear—trust me. “For heavier work, like a ton of digging where blisters come into play, I go with a heavier, nicer leather glove from Duluth,” says Cervoni. “Spoiler alert: You can still get blisters with these, but they help!”

I’ve also tested these gloves and agree they have a solid feel. The leather is soft and supple, right out of the package. There’s leather over the knuckles, too, for better durability. I'd choose these for heavy chores that require more substantial protection, such as dividing and transplanting perennials or digging out dead shrubs.

If you want a stylish pair that actually holds up, try these. "I’m not partial to any particular brand, but I’m absolutely devoted to a style: Knit gloves with the polyurethane-dipped palms and fingertips," says Stacey Hirvela, horticulturalist with Spring Meadow Nursery and Proven Winners. "I love them because they do everything I need a glove to do without being overkill, they let your hands breathe, and they stay flexible."

"The polyurethane coating is nice and grippy for moving around pots or grabbing tools and tough weeds. They’re also super-easy to stick in your pocket if you need to take a break or do a bare-handed task," says Hirvela.

For a pair of gloves that feel like a second skin, we have just the recommendation for you. “I have worn gloves all day, five days a week as a flower farmer for the past two decades,” says Lisa Ziegler, of The Gardener’s Workshop and author of The Cut Flower Handbook. “Hands down, these gloves feel like you don’t have gloves on. They hold up for a season or more, and I absolutely love them.”

I’ve also tested these gloves and agree that they’re an excellent choice for dexterity. You can do everything you need to do without fumbling, and the elastic cuff keeps them snug to your wrist. They wash up nicely in the machine on cold, or you can rinse them off with the hose. Let them air dry, and they're ready for the next round in the garden.

These pretty gloves are a good choice for occasional yard work, such as repotting plants, light raking, and spring cleanup. They come in a ton of pretty designs, so they’re also a nice gift idea for your favorite gardener.

In my tests, the palms don't protect hands from thorns during heavy pruning or cleanup sessions. But they’re a solid all-purpose glove for light duty that looks good, too (because sometimes you just want cute gloves!).

These all-leather gloves are indispensable for thorny jobs like pruning roses or trimming scratchy shrubs. I’ve tested many gloves with cotton or canvas gauntlets, which do not last. Thorns and sharp sticks usually poke through, leading to tears in the fabric and cuts on your arms.

However, these gloves are made from buttery-soft goat leather for the glove portion with sturdy cow leather for the elbow-length gauntlets. I’ve been using these for about 15 years, and each pair lasts three to four seasons under heavy use (three to four times per week). I’ve even used them when digging out stubborn shrubs to protect my forearms from scratches. They're excellent value, too.

The best way to tell if a pair of gardening gloves is right for you and the type of work you plan to do is to test them out yourself. That said, there are a few things to look out for when shopping for them.

Size
Some gloves are one-size-fits-all, which is fine for larger hands, but they typically don’t work well for small hands because they fit too loosely. Others come in sizes ranging from small to extra-large, which tend to provide a better fit.

A few go by more precise glove sizing, so you’ll need to measure your hands around the widest part of your knuckles and consult the manufacturer’s size chart to choose the correct size. “Gardening gloves should fit snugly,” says Thiem. “If they’re too loose, they can fall off, or you must constantly adjust them.” If they’re too tight, they’re restrictive and uncomfortable.

Materials
Gloves come in a range of materials, each of which has pros and cons. Know what tasks you’ll be tackling because some gloves are more suited to certain garden chores than others. For example, if you’re planting teeny-tiny lettuce seeds, you need dexterity. If you’re wrangling an invasive vine, pruning roses, or cleaning up brush, you need tough gloves that protect your fingers and forearms. Here are some common glove materials:

• Nylon is stretchy, breathable, flexible, and offers good manual dexterity. Plus, it washes up well and dries fast, says Cervoni.
• Leather protects better against sharp sticks and thorns. But leather can’t be washed and tends to get stiff if it gets wet. “I hate when gloves get all tough and crusty,” says Hirvela.
• Cotton, or jersey, gloves are not recommended because they provide little protection against thorns and abrasions, don’t provide a good grip, and aren’t pleasant to wear once they get damp from sweat or dewy grass.

Water Resistant
Gloves with nitrile or polyurethane-dipped palms and fingertips keep hands dry, but only to a degree. If you sweat or weed in the morning, when the grass is damp, your hands will still end up getting wet.

If you want your hands to stay dry, look for gloves with the entire palm and fingertips encased in water-resistant materials, such as the brand recommended by Carey.

Maintenance and Care

Ideally, you want your gloves to last more than a season, so caring for them, no matter how affordable they may be, is part of the gardening routine. Read the manufacturer’s care instructions, though we’ve found that most gloves (except for leather gloves) can be machine washed on cold on gentle or hosed off, then air-dried.

Arricca Elin SanSone is a garden writer with 15+ years of experience growing houseplants, herbs and edibles, and landscape plantings. With a background in health reporting, she applies these same research skills when writing about the science of growing things.

Her houseplant collection includes more than 65 varieties, while her expansive garden includes annuals, perennials, and shrubs, including new cultivars, that she trials for performance and reliability. When she’s not digging in the dirt, she’s teaching people about garden maintenance and how to grow things, including edibles, perennials, tropical plants, houseplants, and lawns.