I keep England's Garden in bloom. These are the only wellies I'll wear.

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In some ways it is easy to be a professional gardener in Kent. They call it "the Garden of England" because, left to its own devices, it is beautiful: green and lush and captivating. Often, all I have to do is add to what is already there to give my clients what they want.

It can also be terribly hard to be a gardener in Kent. This is England. When it rains – which is almost always – the mud can splatter you up to your eyebrows, while the water collects in your boots. When the sun is out – which happens more often than most people think – it can get sweltering fast, especially if you are working hard.

And I work hard. An important part of the job is planning and logistics, laying out gardens and getting the right materials to the right place, and all the administration that comes with being a tradesperson. But in the end it comes down to digging and planting, pruning and cutting, and a lot of lifting and carrying. I spend more time with two bags of compost over my shoulder than I do sitting behind a computer.

I hate having wet feet. In winter it makes you cold, in summer it makes you slip. Heat-management is important, and for that I need the right season socks and a good weather forecast. First and foremost, though, I need to pair of boots that won't let the water in, which will protect me from thorny stuff from the bottom and a poorly-aimed implement from the top, and from slipping all over the place when I move between paving and mud and grass in all kinds of conditions.

My boots can't last long, they just work too hard and I don't have the time to look after them the way I should; they get hosed down and left in the van, where it can get freezing and like an oven on the same day. So I can't spend too much.

Yet, I have to admit, style is important. I have to look the part when I arrive on someone's doorstep for the first time. Everyone judges a tradesperson by their tools, and my boots are the first and last bit of gear my clients typically see.

I have tried many different types of boot in very different price ranges and styles, but right now I'm completely in love with my pair of Lakeland Rydals (Amazon affiliate link). They are light enough to wear all day despite the steel reinforcement, they have never leaked, there is space for my trousers to tuck in without a fuss, and they are easy to slip off and fast to get back on.

People know the brand, and know it is English, and I am told I cut quite the dashing figure in the black version.

Watch out for: The insoles are rubbish. I throw them out immediately and buy proper foam insoles with the support I need.

Pro tip: Get a hot glue gun and glue in the insoles, once you know you have the right ones.Having them move about every time you take off your boots is so annoying.