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If you’ve heard the saying “well begun is half done,” you will understand that using the right gardening tools for your gardening tasks will make your work faster and easier to accomplish.  Here is a rundown of various types of gardening tools, hand tools and lawn garden tools, and their functions.

Most Useful Hand Gardening Tools

There are endless hand tools.  A well-stocked garden bag should always contain these hand tools to make work light.

Hori Hori:  This is a Japanese hand tool, that is, essentially, a gardening knife.  It has either a plastic or wood handle, and a heavy metal blade. One side of the blade is usually serrated, and the other side has an edge. The tip is pointed.  You can use this hand tool to plant bulbs, plant annual flowers, and weed.  The cost of these tools is between $15-30, depending upon where you purchase it.

Dandelion Weeder: A dandelion weeder usually has a short handle (about five inches long) and a longer, metal, digging section.  The end of the metal portion usually has a fork-like end, with two teeth and a center “V.”  The proportion of the handle to the digging section allows leverage, while the V allows for grasping of the taproot on plants such as dandelions.  Cost: between $5-15

Cultivator: Sometimes called a “claw,” a cultivator is the gardening tool best used for light weeding in areas filled with plants.  The cultivator can uproot small weeds, leaving them on the surface of the soil to dry out.  Cost:  between $5-15

Watering Wand and Breaker: The best way to water annual plants, container gardens and hanging baskets is with a watering wand.  This is a pipe-like attachment that helps extend the rigid reach of the hose.  The best thing for the end of the wand is not a spray gun, but a breaker or rosette.  The rosette will break up the water stream so that it is softer, which will reduce erosion concerns.  Costs vary widely.  You can buy these at big-box stores for as little as $5.  We recommend investing in a better version, such as those made by Dramm, which can cost around $30-$40 for the wand and breaker.

Hand Pruners: No garden tool stash is complete without a pair of bypass pruners.  Hand pruners work exactly as they sound, you hold them in your hand and use them to hand-prune plants like roses, small shrubs and anything that isn’t trimmed into a hedge.  Loppers have the same type of cutting mechanism, but they have longer arms, and are better for trimming taller trees and shrubs.

Lawn Gardening Tools for Superior Lawn Care

Most homeowners need to own a few basic lawn gardening tools, while others can be rented from local equipment rental facilities.

Power Mower: If you have more than a few square feet of lawn to mow, a power mower-whether electric or gas powered-is a must for lawn care.  Mulching mowers are best for the lawn. Cost varies widely depending upon features and brands.  You can pay as little as $150 and as much as $750 for a power, walk-behind mower.

String trimmer: To keep areas where the lawn meets the sidewalk or wall, a string trimmer is a must.  These cost between $80-$300.

Some equipment is fine for renting.  We recommend renting these tools on an as-needed basis.

Trench Edger: Your flower beds will look great if you use a trench edger in the spring and fall.  The fact that you need only use this tool a couple of times a year makes it more cost-effective to rent it.

Tiller: You don’t want to till the soil endlessly, and the only time you may want to till is when you put in a new flower bed.  You can purchase a small tiller for use in vegetable garden rows.  For a large, heavy tiller to turn over a new bed, go to your local equipment rental facility.

Using the right lawn gardening tools and hand tools for the job makes gardening easier and faster!

You have just moved into your brand new home—complete with a basic landscape. However, you want your lawn and garden to be the one everyone raves about. Unfortunately, your new home did not come with a shed fully stocked with lawn garden tools. You have your lawn mower, but that is about it. You don’t want to go to the nearest garden center and buy one of everything, so it would be helpful to understand which lawn and garden tools will be helpful to have a list of which lawn and garden tools will best help design and maintain your dream lawn. Garden tools can be divided into 3 groups—Tools you should own, Specialty Tools and Tools you should rent.

Lawn and Garden Tools to Own:

• Spreaders – a drop spreader for seeds, fertilizer, nutrients, and a rotary spreader for large areas.
• Sprayer – available as a canister or a backpack that is used for applying compost tea, weed killer, etc.
• Spade and Shove l- used for transplanting, turf removal, non-fibrous mulches, edging and small digging projects.
• Rakes – There are 4 types of rakes: A lawn and  leaf rake, a landscape rake, thatching ing rake, and a garden rake.
• Pruning Tools -loppers or pruning shears for branches from ½” to 1 ½” branches; pruning shears for woody limbs up to  3 inches in diameter and a bow saw for thicker branches.
• Manual Aerator – great for aerating a small lawn.
• Grubbing Hoe – its wide edge is great for removing unwanted grass or sod.
• Grass Shears – ideal for edging around flower gardens.
• Weeder- Due to its fork-like tines, it is an especially lawn garden tool when removing weeds.
• Turf Edger- Work well for keeping lawn perimeters neat and can be used to trim off extra lengths of sod.
• Wheel Barrow – uses are limitless with this lawn and garden tool. Whether hauling fertilizer, mulch, prunings, etc…this is a great labor saver!

Specialty Lawn and Garden Tools

• Power Edger – available in electric or gas models, the edger is used to trim and maintain edges of  the lawn and gardens.
• String Trimmer – aka weed eater, great for removing grass along the edge of the yard, garden walkways, etc.. Available in gas, electric or battery operated models.
• Pole Trimmer – a pruning saw that is attached to a 12 foot telescoping pole.
• Blowers – gas or electric models of this lawn garden tool make leaf removal easier and faster.
• Chain Saw- perfect for small tree limbs to average sized trees, can be electric or gas powered.

Lawn Garden Tools to Rent

• Power Aerator – used to loosen the soil, especially nice during drought or in the fall.
• Power Tiller – available in a variety of sizes and styles, helpful in prepping a new
  lawn, mixing in soil amendments, and getting the soil ready for planting.
• Power De-Thatcher – used to remove thatch and prepare the yard for overseeding.
• Vertical Mower – works same as the above, but has spikes that partially enter the soil.
• Power Seeder (slit seeder) – cuts shallow “ditches” into the soil and sows grass seed as needed.

Well, as G. I. Joe used to, “Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.” So, go get your lawn and garden tools and start creating your landscaping masterpiece!