Garden Tools

"There is a lovable quality about the actual tools. One feels so kindly to the thing that enables the hand to obey the brain. Moreover, one feels a good deal of respect for it; without it the brain and the hand would be helpless." Gertrude Jekyll

It used to be said that the thing which distinguished humans from the rest of the animal kingdom is that we are intelligent enough to design and use tools, but as we study our fellow creatures, more examples of their use of objects to help with tasks have been discovered. Some birds use stones to crush animal shells, chimpanzees use twigs to extract ants. However when it comes to quantity and variety we beat them hands down.
The variety of garden tools is certainly endless and every year new ones are introduced promising great benefits over anything that has gone before. The Victorians loved their gadgets and in the latter half of the nineteenth century the range of tools increased greatly.
The majority are not what they are claimed to be and after one use end up occupying space in the tool shed, never to see the light of day again. Apart from the most useful tools we possess - our hands - the range of tools needed to tend the average garden is small.
Always try them for comfort and ease of handling before purchase. This applies as well when buying garden tools for a gift, try to think how the recipient will use it, or it might be better to give a voucher so that he or she can do the choosing. If possible choose small hand tools which have bright handles so that they will be easier to spot among foliage or against soil - why so many are made with green or black handles is a mystery! Some bright paint can be applied to make them stand out.
Garden tools made with copper based metals are regarded by some to be beneficial to the soil, possibly by adding traces of the metal as they are used, or because copper is non magnetic. The tools are usually made from beaten bronze, an alloy of copper and tin - this makes them hardwearing. They do not corrode as easily as iron tools and look very elegant, if a little pricey.

There is some information on lawnmowers in the lawn maintenance article.

"It is no use asking me or anyone else how to dig... Better to go and watch a man digging, and then take a spade and try to do it." Gertrude Jekyll
Used mainly for planting and cultivating the spade should be the correct weight and have a suitable length and girth of handle to be comfortable in use. The blade has had many transformations over the years. Different regions have produced a spade best suited to the local soil conditions and the task to be carried out. For example a long narrow one for heavy stoney ground and wider, shorter ones for lighter soil; the narrower blade is usually more angled and is useful for digging field drains.
The first spades were made from wood and must have been a nightmare to use. The best one has a forged blade set at a slight angle, not straight in profile and made of pressed steel, ie. folded out of sheet metal.
The choice between carbon and stainless steel is down to frequency of use. If the spade spends most of its time in the shed the stainless one will stay smooth and will pass easily through the soil. A thin layer of rust will form on the surface of the ordinary steel one if it is left for any length of time, and will tend to clog up with soil during use. The stainless blade wears away quicker, so may not last as long with frequent use, as a good quality forged one of similar price.
Most of the spades available are similar in shape and are of two sizes - the digging spade with a broad blade (right) and the border spade (left) which is smaller and lighter. The latter is also useful for digging narrower drains and post holes as it removes less material. They tend not to have a proper tread on the shoulders of the blade, the sharp point is painful on the foot and cuts into the sole of shoes and wellingtons, ruining them. There are small plastic guards which clip on, but the best remedy is to have a small peice of iron bar welded on to make the shoulder thicker.

Slightly lighter and with a similar overall profile to the spade, the garden fork is best for cultivating soil, especially in new ground. The tines are much easier to push into the soil if it is stoney and in clay soil it breaks up the clods more easily. Also when removing perennial weeds it is easier to tease out the roots without cutting them. Some people recommend using two forks back-to-back to tease apart the roots of perennial plants when dividing them, but with some roots it it best to cut them with a spade of old kitchen knife.
Stainless steel does not have an advantage over carbon steel as a little rust on the tines will not signify - the choice is purely a cosmetic one. Infact good quality carbon steel tines will probably last longer and may be more resistant to bending.
As with the spade there are two main sizes - a digging fork and a smaller border fork. The smaller size is sometimes called a 'lady's fork' as it is easier to handle.

For smaller jobs such as planting bulbs and bedding plants in cultivated soil. A stainless steel version is probably best as the blade stays cleaner and is easier to spot if left lying around. The whole tool or part of it can be used as a measure when planting out.

The most useful garden tool when hand weeding to loosen the soil around the weeds and ensure that all of the roots come out. Then afterwards a general scuffle over the surface leaves a tidy finish. It can also be used for planting out. A stainless steel one has a nicer feel when working and is easier to spot in the flowerbed.

The two main types are the draw hoe and the cutting hoe. The draw hoe has its blade set at a right-angle to the shaft and is used to draw soil towards the operator when making planting drills or when mounding-up potatoes.
The cutting hoe is pushed back-and-forth, just below the surface of the soil in a sliding motion and is used for weeding. The blade is more in line with the handle and there are a few designs, the most common being the Dutch Hoe where the flat blade is supported on each side in a D-shape. The Swoe (pictured) has a pointed blade facing sideways from the handle supported on one side, which is easier to use between plants. The blade of both types should always be sharp to cleanly sever the topgrowth from the roots, it also reduces the effort needed to use them. They are used frequently to catch the weeds as early as possible. In dry weather the constantly disturbed surface develops a 'dry mulch' which conserves moisture below it and is less likely to induce seeds to germinate. Even with perennial weeds, if they are frequently deprived of their topgrowth, they will die away.
It may be necessay to sharpen the blade quite frequently with stoney ground and a sharpening stone is handy to have for this.

The conventional draw rake (top left) is used when preparing seedbeds. So after the grass is sown it may not be needed unless you have a vegetable plot.
The spring-tined rake (bottom left) is great for removing thatch and moss from the lawn. This one has done a lot of work and has been retired.
A leaf rake (top right) is probably the most efficient tool for clearing up a heavy drop of leaves. It can also be used to distribute a topdressing on the lawn, working it down into the sward.
The Wolf Garten scarifier (bottom right) has taken the place of the spring-tined rake. Its solid, hooked tines cut through the toughest thatch and the wheels keep it at a constant level.

There are two main types with bypass or anvil blades. With the former the blades move past each other to make the cut and with the latter a thin, sharp blade is brought down onto a flat one. The bypass gives a cleaner cut with less crushing of the stem and if removing a side shoot the cut can be made closer to the main stem. Some have a ratchet mechanism to reduce the mechanical effort needed to perform the cut - the handles are closed a few times to bring the blades together. A spring between the handles moves them apart for ease of use, and there should be a small rubber buffer to cushion the closure point which reduces the risk of repetitive strain injury.
After repeated use the blades become covered with dried sap which tends to push bypass blades slightly apart, so giving the appearence that they are blunt. To remedy this use fine emery paper on the insides of the blades to remove the residue. One of the blades of bypass secateurs is thinner and sharper than the other and can be sharpened, the other one should be left alone. The thin blade on anvil secatuers can also be sharpened. There are a number of handy diamond encrusted files available for the job.
If pruning out diseased material from a plant, the blades should be disinfected before using on another job. Use a cloth soaked in methylated spirits or play a flame over the blades - a lighter will do.
Felco are considered to be the 'Rolls-Royce' of pruners.

With the advent of hedge trimmers and line trimmers, even in the smallest of gardens, shears are not used as often now. They still have their uses for doing topiary and removing faded foliage in the perennial border. Also for a really sharp edge on the lawn there is nothing to beat long-handled grass shears.
As with secateurs, dry sap builds up on the blades so it should be removed with fine emery paper to keep the shears working efficiently.
The shears pictured have extendable handles for better reach.

These are more or less heavy duty secateurs with long handles for cutting thicker branches, and come with similar bypass or anvil blades. Some have a lever system to reduce the effort needed to operate them and telescopic handles allow for better reach, but this makes the opened tool very wide and difficult to manoeuvre in tight spaces.
For pruning trees and climbers, there are loppers which fit onto extendable shafts and are operated by a pully system to give a reach of 5 metres or more.

Very useful for removing branches which are too thick for secateurs and loppers, and when working in confined spaces. The blade is curved and the teeth are ground so that it cuts on the pull stroke - the curve forces the blade into the cut. This is very effective for one handed operation and if the saw is used on an extended handle.
The one pictured has a removable handle which allows it to clip into an extendable shaft to reach into trees or across thick hedges. There are also fold-away versions which fit into the jacket pocket.