Best Tools for Gardening

As a professional gardener, the right tools are everything. Not only do they make your job a little easier, but professional gardening tools offer greater speed, accuracy and efficiency to your work, after all, there is nothing more rewarding than a satisfied customer with a perfectly pruned garden. So whether you are building your first gardening tool kit, you want to expand on an existing kit or you simply want an update on the best professional gardening tools around, then this guide is for you.

Types of Gardening Tools

When it comes to types of gardening tools, there are two main categories, hand tools and power tools. Hand tools are your typical garden equipment that are not powered by anything other than yourself ie manual labour, whereas power tools are often used for larger areas and jobs that would require something other than good old fashioned elbow grease. Let’s discuss these in more detail.

Gardening Hand Tools

Hand tools are used in almost every aspect of gardening from weeding and pruning to digging and potting, therefore the hand tools every gardener should own are:

• Trowel – used for digging small holes and breaking up soil, especially popular when potting and planting.
• Spade – used to break up large areas of earth, turning over borders and even edging your lawn.
• Secateurs – used for cutting back stems and branches in order to promote new growth.
• Hand Fork – used to break up and turnover earth in smaller areas.
• Rake – used to collect leaves and other debris that may have collected on your grass, borders or flower beds.
• Shears – used to cut larger stems, branches, hedges or other strays that need cutting.
• Hand Cultivator – used to turn the soil and dig up weeds in smaller areas.
• Grubber – used to remove roots without disturbing the plants around it.

Gardening Power Tools

Power tools are a gardener’s best friend when it comes to those heavy-duty tasks, these include:

• Lawn Mower – used for freshly cut lawns and those sought after Wimbledon lines.
• Strimmer – used to cut back long grass and keep edges neat.
• Hedge Cutter – a quick and easy way to keep those hedges in check.
• Leaf Blowers – used to blow away leaves, grass clippings and other unwanted debris.

Landscaping vs Gardening – What’s the difference?

You may have heard the term landscape gardener, but when it comes to gardening what’s the difference? Well, a landscape gardener is involved in all aspects of design, from the initial groundworks and layout to the final arrangements and finishing touches. A landscape gardener, however, would rarely be involved in the actual potting and planting, this is where a gardener would come in. They would take over all aspects of maintenance, growth and development in order to see the garden flourish to its full potential.

Best Landscaping tools

When the hand tools just aren’t…well, cutting it, it’s time to bring out the landscaping tools, these include:

• Chainsaws – ideal for cutting through overgrown areas, tree felling, removing large branches and cutting down tree trunks.
• Shovels and spades – for breaking up and moving large amounts of soil.
• Border Forks – with a longer handle than a hand fork, a border fork enables you to break up and turnover soil with ease in larger areas.
• Pruning Saws – ideal for cutting back large branches and shrubs that are too big for secateurs to handle.
• Garden Rake – an extension of the hand rake, a garden rake enables you to cover more surface area.
• Garden Power Tools – as mentioned above, for those jobs that require that little something extra.

Tips for buying professional gardening tools

While it’s always nice to grab yourself a bargain, it’s worth remembering that gardening equipment is an investment. A good set of professional gardening tools can last a lifetime with proper care. Plus if you want the best results then you deserve the best tools, so with that in mind, let’s run through some helpful tips on what to look out for.

• Stainless steel is one of the best metals you can work with. It offers maximum strength and durability, plus its virtually rustproof too so will stand the test of time.
• Invest in forged handles. There’s nothing worse than a trowel snapping beneath you just as you are about to turn over the soil, therefore this is less likely to happen with forged handles. This means the equipment is crafted from one piece of steel making it much tougher than those that are not.
• Stick to brands that you know. If something looks too good to be true, it most probably is, whereas a reputable brand is tried and tested.
• Buy the right tool for the job. Using shears over secateurs could resulting in chopping off more than anticipated, resulting in a sparse space as opposed to a beautiful border in bloom.
• Time is money. Don’t waste your time or hard-earned cash on equipment that may snap, split or bend under pressure, it will only hold you back and put you out of pocket having to replace cheaper goods. Therefore, investing in quality pieces is both time and cost-effective.

How to care for your professional gardening tools

As tempting as it may be to down tools and leave after a busy day, it’s worth noting that with a little care each day your tools can last a lifetime. Follow these simple steps to keep them at their best:

• Always remove any excess dirt to avoid any build-up of soil etc.
• Clean regularly with soapy water.
• Keep them sharp, as blunt edges and blades will only slow you down.
• Store them in a dry place, this is especially important with wooden items.
• Prevent rusting by wiping over metal with a wire brush.
• Protect your tools from moisture by sealing with an appropriate oil.