Down and dirty

Make sure you have the correct garden tools for different outdoor tasks

When it comes to choosing garden tools, the number of options can leave consumers bewildered. What is essential? Much depends on an individual gardener’s needs. However, there are a few tools that every gardener should own, regardless of their garden’s size or style. Here’s a look.

A classic bypass hand pruner, sometimes called secateurs, is high on the must-have list. The two curved blades on a bypass pruner produce clean cuts that won’t tear plants’ tissue. This makes them ideal for trimming shrubs, perennials or flowers, as well as the occasional soft branch.

Related to the hand pruner are snippers or snips. Snips shouldn’t be used for cutting woody material, but they are ideal for harvesting or pruning fresh greenery, for precise work on plants or for getting into tight spaces.

Another essential pruning tool is a lopper or long-handled pruner. Loppers are ideal for trimming shrubs in hard-to-reach areas or woody stems measuring 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) or more in diameter. They come in a variety of lengths but generally range from 41 to 91 centimetres (16 to 36 inches). Longer-handled loppers allow for more leverage and make it easier to reach higher branches, while shorter ones are easier to use for trimming shrubs. Some loppers have extendable handles, giving you the best of both options.

Some garden tasks, like removing a diseased tree branch or shaping a tree, aren’t suitable for loppers or handheld pruners, and that’s where a pruning saw comes in. Designed to cut through wood on both the push and pull strokes, pruning saws are ideal for removing tree or shrub branches that are 5 to 13 centimetres (2 to 5 inches) in diameter.

Another essential tool is a hand-held garden trowel or hand shovel. Indispensable when you’re on your knees digging small holes in garden beds, a trowel is also useful for removing weeds, rearranging plants in pots or transplanting bedding plants. Trowel blades come in a variety of widths. For example, broader, scooped blades move more soil at once, while narrower blades are more effective for digging in rockeries or removing deep-rooted weeds. A trowel blade marked with a depth guide is helpful if you’re planting many bulbs and perennials. Larger, full-size shovels and spades are important for gardeners with full-size gardens.

Hand-held tine cultivators, sometimes called gardening claws, are must-haves for small-space gardening or those spots where you need to work carefully around plants. Featuring three or four sturdy prongs, cultivators effortlessly loosen soil around plants without damaging roots, make it easier to pull weeds and help aerate the soil too.

Related to the cultivator is the hand rake, a mini version of the full-size garden rake. Hand rakes are ideal for tight spaces where a larger rake wouldn’t fit. Use your hand rake to eliminate surface debris from under shrubs or in garden borders, gently rake fertilizer into the soil of potted plants, clean up the edges of pebble walkways or rake the surface of your Zen garden.

Garden tools are an investment, so always look for quality and durability. Avoid lightweight plastic (it has a tendency to break) and choose tools made from corrosion-resistant high-carbon steel, stainless steel or fibreglass.

On better-quality trowels, cultivators and hand rakes, the handle and the working component are forged together rather than joined with rivets or screws. Durable pruners and loppers have sharp, quality blades and a smooth cutting mechanism.

Finally, don’t overlook fit. Your garden tools are an extension of you and need to fit comfortably in your hands. Choosing soft-grip, ergonomically correct handles minimizes injuries from repetitive strain and allows you to work harder and longer with less effort. That’s important as you go about creating beauty in your garden.

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