Garden Tools Guide
Whether you are a professional gardener or a home gardener, having the right tools for the job is essential. There’s nothing more frustrating than not achieving the results you hoped for on your garden project because you didn’t have the right tools to hand. On the flip side, there’s nothing more satisfying than knowing you have the perfect tool to complete the job with ease and achieve a flawless finish.
Fiskars Xact™ Digging Spade
Buying the right tools can seem like a complicated task, especially for the beginner gardener. With so much choice out there, it can be hard to decide which items you need, and which will remain unused languishing in the shed. To help ensure that you are perfectly equipped for all of your gardening projects, it is useful to have all the essential garden tools that you need ready and waiting for you.
Shovels & Spades
Shovels and spades are likely to be your most-used garden tools. What is the difference between a shovel and a spade? Well, a spade is generally smaller than a shovel and also has a flatter surface. The curved surface of a shovel makes it much easier to use for scooping up soil. Shovels and spades come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Taller gardeners should look out for longer handled products, so that they are more comfortable for them to use, such as the Fiskars Digging Spade Large, which is 1200mm long.
Uses
Spades are used primarily for digging and edging. It is possible to buy different types of spade which are specifically designed to perform these tasks, such as the Faithfull Essentials Digging Spade and the Faithfull Essentials Border Spade.
Thanks to their shape, shovels are perfect for lifting and moving soil and the round nosed shovel is also an excellent tool to use for digging.
Rakes & Hoes
A rake is a garden tool must-have to keep your outside space looking perfect. There are several types of rake available, each of which performs a useful task. Leaf and lawn rakes have a long handle and then a fanned appearance at the end. A garden rake has a bar at the end with tines that have a shorter, straighter appearance. Both types of rakes are useful to have in your shed and are sure to get a lot of use.
Hoes are another essential item for a gardener’s tool kit. The Dutch hoe is a popular choice and is available in longer lengths for the taller gardener too.
Uses
Lawn and leaf rakes will be useful throughout the year; in summer they are perfect for gathering grass cuttings on your lawn, and in autumn are the ideal companion for dealing with all the leaves that you will inevitably find scattered across your garden.
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Hoes are the ideal way of removing weeds from your garden without needing to kneel or bend too much. Slide the hoe back and forth through the soil to easily remove the weeds.
Mattocks & Picks
Mattocks and picks are similar in their appearance, and also perform similar tasks around the garden. These garden tools feature a handle with a flat blade on one side and an axe-like end on the other side.
Uses
Mattocks and picks are typically used when you have small trees or bushes to be removed from your garden. Mattocks and picks enable you to make short work of removing both the tree or shrub and its roots.
Hedge Shears
Hedge shears are a staple garden tool, that will help keep your garden well-tended and your hedges under control. Telescopic varieties such as the Kent & Stowe Telescopic Hedge Shears enable you to adjust the length of the handles to best suit your task, which is handy when you are working on those difficult to reach areas.
Uses
Use your hedge shears to keep your hedges and shrubbery looking neat and tidy, and for creating and maintaining your perfect hedge shape.
Secateurs
Secateurs are your perfect pruning accessory. This useful tool is also sometimes referred to as pruners, and comes in two varieties; anvil and bypass. Anvil secateurs are best for cutting through tougher material such as dead branches. For more delicate pruning jobs, bypass secateurs are the best tool for the job, thanks to their scissor-like movement.
Uses
From trimming back brambles, through to pruning your rose bush, secateurs are your go-to garden tool for shaping up your garden and keeping it looking tidy.
Fiskars Premium Planters™ Trowel
Trowels
Trowels are another example of an essential small garden tool to have in your shed. Garden trowels are usually made from stainless steel, but more lightweight options are available if preferred, from brands such as Fiskars.
Uses
Hand trowels are used for planting, enabling you to move the soil around easily, and are ideal for use when digging in smaller spaces where a spade isn’t practical.
Edging Irons
If you love to create a perfect finish when working on a gardening project, then an edging iron is exactly what you need. Edging irons are long-handled and feature a half-moon shaped end, sometimes with a serrated edge. Edging irons can be constructed from either stainless steel or carbon steel, carbon steel being the more lightweight option of the two materials.
Uses
To create a perfect border separating your garden lawn from your flower beds or your pathway, an edging iron is essential. The edging iron will help you to create a sharp and precise finish.
Forks
Garden forks come in two main varieties; digging forks and border forks. Both types come in either stainless steel or carbon steel, allowing you to choose which material you prefer. Digging forks are larger than border forks, making it useful to have both types of forks for different jobs around the garden.
Uses
Digging forks are ideally suited to breaking up compacted soil, thanks to their larger size. Border forks are used for aerating soil and thanks to their smaller size, are perfect for working in tighter areas of the garden.