Get your garden in shape with these handy outdoor gadgets

Make more of being outside – even as the nights draw in – with this compact patio heater.

It is mains-powered so setting up is simple.

Just mount it on your chosen spot, plug it in and turn on for up to six metres of infrared heat.

Lose the leaves - Bosch Universal Garden Tidy 2300, £109.99, Robert Dyas

This combination leaf blower, vacuum and shredder will turn a drive full of leaves into a small pile of mulch in a breeze.

Easily switch between modes as you go.

It is also quieter than traditional leaf blowers, although we would still recommend you wear ear plugs.

Gutter clean - Wolf-Garten 2-in-1 gutter cleaner, £44.99, local garden centres

Worried about leaves clogging the gutter with autumn nearly here?

This quirky gadget and a four metre-long handle means you don’t need a ladder.

It has a leaf scoop and gutter brush.

Wolf-Garten’s 60-plus tools work with 11 different handles to save on storage space and money.

Security and light - Arlo security camera and light, £259.99, Currys

Keep an eye on deliveries, check when the kids get back – or be alerted to intruders.

Plus, see what you are doing when you get home.

This will be handy as the nights draw in.

Top-end security camera and light in one.

Seat and tidy - Keter Hollywood storage, £30, B&Q

Store away your leaf blower or cushions.

Plus, sit on it and take a rest after some gardening or DIY.

It is wood-effect plastic so looks good – and there is no need to paint.

Garden gear price hike

GARDEN furniture prices have soared during the pandemic by as much as 155 per cent.

Consumer group Which? found major retailers are now charging consumers thousands of pounds more for some popular outdoor items.

It compared prices across 2,000 different sheds, tables and chairs from six major DIY and garden chains between July 2019 and June this year.

For five of the retailers, the biggest rise came between the second half of 2020 and the first half of 2021.

Sheds have seen the biggest price increases.

The Shire 12x24ft Mammoth Loglap Timber Shed in blue began the period at £2,799.99 from Screwfix before ending up at £5,395.99 two years later.

That is a £2,596 increase – nearly double.

A shed sold by Homebase also nearly doubled in price – the Mercia shed/greenhouse combi was £695 in 2019, but £1,210 two years later.

In terms of tables and chairs, the Denia Wooden 6-Seater Dining Set, available from B&Q, was priced at £247 in July 2019, but by July 2021 it cost £369 – a 49 per cent increase.

In July 2020, The Forest Garden Lyon Arbour from Screwfix and Toolstation was £179.99 at Toolstation, but by the end of the period it cost £261.98. At Screwfix, it started at £219.99 and ended up at £341.99.

Every retailer Which? looked at raised garden furniture prices between the second half of 2020 and the first half of 2021.

Wickes saw the largest average increase, with outdoor goods costing 13 per cent more this year than they did in 2020.

Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said: “Many people have looked to spruce up their gardens with new outdoor furniture during the pandemic, but our analysis shows consumers have been hit with eye-watering price hikes for the most popular items.

“Anyone looking to buy garden furniture should consider shopping around for the best prices, exploring the second-hand market or repairing what they already have if that’s an option.

“It’s also wise to plan ahead with any furniture purchasing at the moment.

"Large or special custom items could take several weeks longer than usual to arrive, so think carefully about what you might need later in the year and order it now, if that is possible.”