Having good gardening supplies is important. (Mark Cross/Fresno Bee/MCT)
Many gardeners list pruning shears as their favorite tool, probably because they are one of the most used tools. I never enter a garden without a pair of pruning shears. Interestingly, in an informal survey of Master Gardeners, Marin Garden Club members, and friends, four different brands were found.
Not surprisingly, several people had a preference for a Japanese brand of pruning shears. Japanese tools are known to last a long time. If you haven't been there, check out Hida Hardware, a Japanese hardware store in Berkeley. I bought a pair of pole pruners there decades ago, and someone dropped it and broke a piece, and they fixed it right away for $15. Japantown also has a great Japanese hardware store, Soko Hardware.
Many gardeners use Swiss pruning shears, which are almost an industry standard because they come in a wide range of sizes and have interchangeable parts. A friend told me she uses a pair of little pink pruning shears that she bought for $1. She lives in an apartment, but has a big deck and a large pot of succulents that she keeps on top of her houseplants, which she needs to prune from time to time.
I keep extra pruners, buckets, and large water bottles in my car in case I need to buy flowers or run other errands. You never know when you'll find a lovely bloom.
A collection of hand tools for use in the garden. (Diane Lynch/Marin Master Gardeners)
An avid gardener I know swears by cardboard to clear away clumps of tiny weeds. She cuts them down to the ground, covers them with several layers of cardboard, moistens them to conform to the topography, and then covers them with mulch. She also adores a small handheld rake that acts like an extension of her arm, reaching under plants to sweep and mulch.
Another avid gardener always carries a pair of pruning shears and a digging knife, which are useful for cutting overgrown roots, scraping, digging, and planting bulbs and other plants. The Dutch are known to have a variety of small gardening tools, including specialized trowels and digging knives.
I recently spoke with a few people who own small battery-powered chainsaws, and one friend who never imagined using one said he loves it because it's quiet, lightweight, and can cut branches up to 3 inches long.
Another friend mentioned using a post hole digger to plant small plants. Genius! I wish I had heard of it sooner, but this is a great way to remove the bottom leaves before planting tomato seedlings. Tomatoes are one of the few plants that have roots along the stem, so cutting the bottom leaves and planting them deeper helps them conserve moisture and develop a large root system.
Three-legged orchard ladders are much more stable than four-legged ones. (Diane Lynch/Marin Master Gardeners)
Here's another great idea: As we age, our skin can become thinner and more fragile. A friend of mine in our gardening club has a big yard in LA and loves these shin guards, available at any sporting goods store, that help protect his legs from serious bruises and cuts.
I have a small tool with a double sided head, with a chopping blade on one side and a short rake/cultivator on the other, which is great for mixing compost into pots and doing other small tasks.
A couple of other gardeners mentioned “Grampa's Weeder,” a device that grabs weeds when you press a little pedal to turn a screw.
“Very happy,” one person commented.
Loppers are a favorite tool for many gardeners, and many prefer the lightweight bypass style. Older loppers are great for stronger people, but their wooden handles make them quite heavy. Some people love pruning with loppers and say it's “like therapy.”
Since no one mentioned orchard ladders, I'll tout this essential tool if you do overhead pruning. It has three legs so it can be leveled on uneven or slightly sloping terrain. Mine is an old wooden one, but there are newer aluminum ones out there that look pretty cool. Ladders are probably the most dangerous tools we use in the garden. Years ago I heard a story about someone's mother falling off a ladder and ripping her heart open, hospitalizing her for an entire year. A friend recently had a bad fall and was in the hospital for several weeks doing rehab.
Remember to keep your tools clean, sharp and oiled, they will last and you will use them for a long time.
UC Marin Master Gardeners, sponsored by UC Cooperative Extension, provide science and research-based information to home gardeners in Marin. Email your questions to helpdesk@marinmg.org. Attach photos to any inquiries about plant pests or diseases. Call 415-473-4910 to find out when Master Gardeners are in the office. Or, bring samples to the sample box outside the office 24 hours a day. To attend a gardening workshop or subscribe to Leaflet, our free quarterly e-newsletter, visit marinmg.ucanr.edu.
