Gardening Tools Buying Guide

Lawn Tools

Mowers and Trimmers

Efficient maintenance of your lawn in a good condition is essential to keep your garden in good shape. Lawns vary in shapes and their maintenance requirements tend to vary. Mowers and trimmers are essential tools that you need to use throughout the year to keep it clean and tidy. For medium sized lawns, electric mowers, especially the rotary and cylindrical mowers are the most suitable. For small gardens, an electric lawnmower would be the most suitable choice.

Compared to petrol based mowers, electric mowers are lighter, more affordable and easy to maintain. They usually make minimal noise, which makes it suitable for most gardens. The extension leads can be used to gain access to areas that are not easily accessible. A trimmer can provide the perfect finishing touch to the edges of the lawn and make the flower beds look more visible. Grass trimmers are ideal for quick trimming over large areas. However, hand shears are essential to provide a complete finishing touch.

Once the trimming of the lawn, you will like to maintain it exactly in the same manner. Removal of leaves and other debris can be done using a rake, but to keep snakes away you will need to use a snake catcher. An effective tool for catching a snake safely, it is light weighted and user-friendly. The soft catch grip of the device won’t hurt the snake and its long pole will keep you at a safe time distance from it.

Patio Tools

Air Blowers and garden vacuums

The patio is the area of your garden which will require attention during the winter. However, preparations for maintenance will need to be done during the winter months. If the area is filled with damp, wet leaves then you can make use of an air blower to direct them in a different area where they can be easily collected. It would be a wise thing to do if you need to collect a lot of leaves. You can also opt for a garden vacuum for the purpose. Both these devices are suitable for use in this part of the garden. A vacuum is ideal for sucking the leaves, shredding and collecting them in a bag. If you want an easier option, then you can use the dryer to blow the leaves to a corner, suck them and shred them close to it.

The growth of weeds is something which is likely to take place in the garden at one point in time or the other. It is likely to happen if isn’t brushed on a weekly basis or if you are away from home for quite some time. Weeds can also grow in the joints. After all the weeds are cleaned, you will need to take adequate measures to ensure that they do not grow after a time period. Weed killers might be a suitable option as they will kill the weeds on being sprayed on them. Contact and systemic weed killers are considered the most effective for this purpose.

The contact weed killer will kill most weeds when applied within a short span of time on being absorbed by the leaves and stems of plants. Systemic weed killers, on the other hand, act more slowly but are more effective as they work across the whole plant, starting from leaves to the root. While using a weed killer, follow the instructions of the manufacturer to be aware of when and where it needs to be used. This will ensure that your children or pets are not adversely affected in any way. To avoid weeding, you should keep the patio clean and tidy as much as you can.

Hedge trimmers

Air Blowers and garden vacuums

Hedges enhance the look of the garden and provide a suitable cover to the garden throughout the year. It also ensures that the garden has a clearly defined boundary. If the hedges within the garden require regular trimming, then a flexible cut hedge trimmer would be the ideal option that you can use for cutting the thick, tough branches. These devices come with a rotating safety blade and safety cable. They are equipped with a stop guard that protects the blade while cutting in areas that are close to the ground and walls. You can also use the cover as a storage on a wall.

The engine operated hedge trimmers are best suited for use in cutting and shaping of hedges and unwanted grass. Special consideration will be needed to be given to the types of blades that are used in these trimmers. The hedge trimmers that come with double reciprocating blades are suitable for use in any direction. So, they are best suited for use on unruly hedges. On the other hand, a trimmer with single long handle is more effective while cutting along hedges. Another area that you will need to pay specific attention to is the space between the blades. The wider the spacing, the easier will be for you to trim the thick branches.

For smaller hedges, an electric model would be the most suitable option for you to use. To avoid tripping over long wires, you should opt for a cordless model. The electric models of hedge trimmers normally come with a single blade. Their lightweight ensures that trimming can take place within a short span of time. To ensure safe, simple operations, go for the ones that come with features such as ergonomic handles, blade-tip protectors, and anti-vibration systems. This will ensure that you can cut the hedges in the shapes of your choice.

Flower Bed Tools

Forks

To create the right flower bed, you will need to have an eye for detail and make judicious use of gardening tools available for doing it. For the maintenance of the soil, a garden fork would be a good choice. It will help you to provide the much-needed aeration and nutrition to the soil. However, avoid using a pitchfork for doing so. They come with thinner prongs and are not suitable for shifting soil. If you are planning to work on smaller areas, then a hand-held cultivator with its specially designed head would be the perfect option.

Creation of edgings will help to make the flower beds look cleaner and help them to stand out within your garden. One of the first steps of doing so is to create a border that has a clean, smooth line. You can use the sharp head of a hoe to create this line. It will go through the soil smoothly and as a tool is easy to handle. After you have created the edge, you will need to start cutting and removing the soil. Opt for a border spade while working in tight areas. They are smaller and more user-friendly as compared to garden spades.

Cutting and Pruning Tools

A hand trowel will satisfy most of your planting needs in the area in and around the flower bed. These tools are usually available with handles of varying sizes. Therefore, you will need to go for the one that suits your garden layout. While planting plants that are big in size, a border spade will serve your needs perfectly. The creation of borders of different shapes and sizes will make it essential for you to use a wide range of tools for their maintenance of plants and shrubs. Cutting and pruning tools such as chain saws, pruning secateurs, and anvil loopers are the best deals meant for this purpose. Most pruning is suitable during the spring to make the flower bed look beautiful during the summer season. Pruning secateurs are best suited for use in pruning roses and lumps from shrubs and trees. Make it a point to collect all the pruning before composting them.

Watering cans

A bucket will be one of the essential items that you may require for watering the different parts of the garden. But a watering can would be a suitable option for items such as window boxes, pots etc. The normal water carrying capacity of the cans is usually 2 gallons. To ensure a high level of convenience, you can go for a smaller can with a gallon capacity. It will prove to be easy while watering containers based on a height. The ones that are made from plastic need to kept away from the sun. This is because UV makes plastic brittle over time.

Shovels

A shovel is the best tool for shifting materials such as compost, sand, and gravel. Shovels are available in a wide range of sizes and shapes. You will need to opt for a shovel based on your exact requirement. Their blades are normally made from steel, aluminium, and stainless steel. Their blades are usually pointed and, so you will be able to dig easily.

Forks are another vital garden maintenance tool. Forks are usually of two types- digging fork and lifting fork. You can use a digging fork for digging the soil that with debris, stones etc. A spade may not be the best tool to use under these circumstances. On the other hand, you can make use of a lifting fork in order to lift long grass, weeds, and little hedge clippings.

Sprayers

The use of a sprayer will be essential for the treatment of weeds in different areas of a garden. If you have a larger area to cover, then you can go for a knapsack sprayer which you can carry on your back.