Those who want to take the hard work out of gardening have been advised to cover the soil surface with a mulch to cut down on weeding.

This is just one of the labour-saving tips produced by consumer magazine Gardening Which?, while others involve choosing drought-resistant plants for less watering, simplifying lawn shape to reduce mowing and choosing shrubs and climbers that don't require pruning.

Gardening Which? has also identified in tests some of the best tools that can make gardening easier - including the Gardena Gripper grabber, for picking up litter without bending down, the lightweight twin-wheeled barrow Haemmerlin 4031G Garden Twin Wheel for those with a bad back and Gardena Comfort Secateurs 200 VC, which are easier on those with a weak hand or small grip.

Richard Gianfrancesco, head of research at Gardening Which? said that gardening should be fun and relaxing, rather than a chore.

He commented: "We've looked at the best products to take the graft out of gardening - whether you suffer from a bad back, arthritis, or just don't want to get your hands dirty, there's a solution to keep gardening simple."

A recent poll from Spear and Jackson found that among the respondents who described themselves as "very happy", 77 per cent are regular gardeners.