Is your garden looking like a jungle? Time to get it under control! With the right tools, you can transform that wilderness into a neat and tidy oasis. That's why we’ve put together a list of essential garden gear to help you tackle the job. Discover the tools that will make your life easier and help you care for your plants like a true professional.
Is your garden looking like a jungle? Time to get it under control! With the right tools, you can transform that wilderness into a neat and tidy oasis. That’s why we’ve put together a list of essential garden gear to help you tackle the job. Discover the tools that will make your life easier and help you care for your plants like a true professional.
Essential garden tools for your green spaces
Picture this: you’re standing in front of a massive display of garden tools at your local DIY store, wondering, “Do I really need all this?” The answer: “No!” You don’t need expensive, high-tech gadgets to keep your garden looking great. In this article, we’ll show you the most important garden tools you’ll need. Get to know the basic tools that’ll help with tidying up your garden and keeping your plants healthy.
Manual garden tools
Here’s the core kit of manual garden tools you can’t do without:
- Garden trowel – perfect for digging flower beds or planting shrubs and perennials. You’ll also use it for those heavy-duty jobs, so make sure it’s lightweight but tough.
- Spade – ideal for digging up soil, loosening dirt, and breaking up clumps. It’s a must-have for prepping the ground, especially if you’re planning on creating a rock garden .
- Rake – with multiple tines, it’s brilliant for loosening soil and clearing weeds. Use it to dig out bulbs or pull up plants more easily than with a trowel.
- Pitchfork – often found in farming but just as handy for gardening. Whether you’re dealing with compost, aerating your lawn, or breaking up soil, a garden fork or pitchfork is a must. Make sure to choose the right tine shape and number based on what you’ll use it for!
- Pruning shears – for cutting stems, shoots, and branches. Choose single-hand shears for smaller jobs, and for thicker branches, opt for long-handled pruners or loppers.
- Axe – not just for forestry! It’s great if you’ve got trees in your garden, burn firewood in your fireplace, or enjoy a campfire.
- Wheelbarrow – essential for moving soil, fertiliser, organic waste, seedlings, and more. Choose between one-wheel or two-wheel models depending on what you’re transporting.
Looking to spruce up your balcony? Check out our next post to see what tools you need to create a balcony garden.
Loosen the soil with these garden tools
There are many handy tools to help you loosen the soil, some of which we’ve already mentioned. Simple tools like trowels, spades, and hoes are perfect for smaller areas.
If you’ve got a larger garden, you might want to invest in a tiller. These machines, which look a bit like lawnmowers, come with either electric or petrol engines. They break up the soil and aerate it as they go. For bigger areas, you could use a harrow – it’s an agricultural tool with tines that attach to a tractor to work the soil on large plots.
So why is soil loosening so important? To get the most from your plants and veg, you’ve got to prepare the soil properly. Loosening breaks up clumps and allows air to reach the soil. A tiller’s rotating blades do this job quickly, so there’s no need for manual levelling afterwards.
Battery-operated and petrol-powered garden tools
Manual tools are just the start! Now it’s time to add some battery-operated and petrol-powered gear to your arsenal. These are pricier than, say, a rake, but they’ll save you a great deal of time effort in the long run. And if you’ve got a big garden, investing in one or more of these is a no-brainer:
- Petrol lawnmowers – these are a must-have for lawn care. Unlike electric models, petrol mowers usually have a wider cutting path, meaning they’re more efficient for larger spaces.
- Cordless trimmer – this lightweight and manoeuvrable garden tool helps you trim grass in those tricky spots your mower can’t reach, like around trees, kerbs, and flower beds.
- Cordless hedge trimmer – ideal for trimming hedges, shrubs, and rock gardens. As it’s such a versatile tool for garden maintenance, you’re bound to use it frequently, so check whether the blades are replaceable.
Garden care tools for your flowers and plants
Now that you’ve got the basics sorted for year-round garden care, it’s time to think about watering and cleaning tools. Everyone knows plants need water, but not everyone realises that you can automate watering down to the minute! Drip hoses are especially effective for this.
Keeping things clean is just as important as watering. It has a huge impact on the look and feel of your green space. After a storm, you can quickly tidy up dry leaves and small branches using a leaf blower.
Lawn care, hedge trimming, and planting: let’s get to work!
As you can see, you don’t need to splash out on expensive pro gear to keep your garden in shape. For most jobs, simple garden tools will do the trick – all of which are available at your local DIY store or garden centre. Of course, the size of your garden and variety of plants are important considerations. After all, the larger and more diverse your space, the more tools and work will be needed. But once you’ve got a rake and a pair of pruning shears, you’re well on your way to creating a green and pleasant oasis in your own back garden.
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