I am not much of a gardener, but I have planted flowers in an area outside my sunroom window, in a large fountain-like planter by my front door and in a small strip bed off my back deck. The irises cuttings given to me by a friend are still thriving plus some cannas I have in a large pot. They apparently come back every year. I also planted a Japanese maple tree in an area off my deck. The first one died after I forgot to water it. (Texas summers are REALLY HOT.) The second one is starting to leaf out and did manage to survive two freezes. I planted some ivy twice in the planter by my front door, but it died in two different freezes even though I covered it in a heavy towel. I have had middling to fair success with periwinkles in the small strip of soil outside my sunroom. Not everything I have touched has died immediately, and that is some consolation. My favorite garden tool is a trowel. It really has made planting quicker and easier. Let’s learn more about garden tools from this reprint from the March 27, 2022, article “79 Most Useful Garden Tools’ Names — The Complete List” at happydiyhome.com.
Anvil pruner: a type of hand-held pruner designed specifically for cutting branches from trees and shrubs, usually up to 1-1/2”. There is one blade that smashes the limb into the bottom (anvil) to cut.
Bag cutter: used for quick-cutting open fertilizer bags, compost bags, etc.
Blade guard/blade sheath: used for keeping sharp edges of tools unexposed.
Bobcat: a type of mini tractor with a wide variety of attachments. These include a bucket for moving dirt, a plow for turning up soil, augers for digging various size holes and blades, forks and other implements designed for landscaping projects.
Bow rake: A mainstay on any list of garden tools names, bow rakes have a metal head shaped generally like a long, narrow rectangle, with curved teeth on one side and a flat edge on the other. This tool can be used to level ground, rake leaves and break up clumps of soil.
Bulb planter: a tube-shaped head — sometimes with teeth on one end — attached to a handle and used for planting bulbs. The tube is inserted into the ground and holds the soil in place for easy removal. These can be short or long handled.
Burlaps: square sections of burlap material — usually around 3’x3′ — used to collect and carry away debris such as leaves after blowing, can also be used to cover plants to protect from frost and various other uses.
Bypass loppers: a larger version of bypass pruners, with long handles, intended to be used for branches up to 1″ in diameter.
Bypass pruners: handheld, short-handled pruning shears on which there are two cutting blades that pass by each other, like scissors — as opposed to one-bladed anvil pruners; perfect for deadheading and harvesting. When it comes to garden tools names, this is one to remember.
Chipper: a piece of heavy equipment used to chip large pieces of wood — like large branches removed from trees during trimming — into small pieces that can be used as ground cover or mulch. Must use with extreme caution as they are incredibly dangerous.
Container or pot: an out-of-ground receptacle used for planting trees, plants and flowers that comes in unlimited sizes, colors and styles to suit any aesthetic; “container gardening” has grown in popularity and adds visual interest to your design.
Controller: for gardens that have an in-ground irrigation system, the controller is a small computer that “controls” when watering occurs, in what areas and for how long. This information must be programmed into the controller by the gardener. Also referred to as a “clock” or “timer,” it is typically housed in a strong plastic box and affixed to the wall of the house or shed. Controllers come in a wide array of sizes of capabilities, from small and cheap to large and technologically advanced. Rain Bird and Rain Dial are common irrigation clocks.
Core aerator: a walk-behind machine with a series of hollow metal bars. It is pushed along the ground to poke holes in compacted soil which helps water, fertilizer and other products work more effectively.
Cultivator: a versatile hand tool with a metal head which holds sharp blades used to cut up weeds and aerate soil.
Dethatcher: uses metal blades or tines to comb across the grass and pull thatch up to the surface of the lawn for easy removal. Thatch is the debris — dead grass, grass clippings from mowings, leaf debris, etc. — that collects over time on the surface of lawns and interferes with watering and feeding. There are manual and power options.
Dibber/dibble stick: used for making holes in the ground when planting seeds or bulbs.
Dozer: in residential applications, typically refers to a mini garden crawler or crawler carrier, a small tractor fitted with blades for grading and moving dirt. It is a useful tool for clearing property of excess rocks and other debris.
Drum roller, lawn roller or sand roller: used for flattening and leveling the ground, typically before sod installation or after. Consists of a large drum with a single rod and handle that the operator holds as the tool is pushed, with the operator walking behind.
Edging shears or lawn edger: Long-handled handheld tool used to detail the perimeters of grass areas for a very clean and precise finish.
Emitter: used in gardens that have a drip-style irrigation system, an emitter is the very small part that is inserted into ¼ – inch poly tubing — aka “spaghetti” — at the end of the irrigation system and emits a specific amount of water to the plant or tree in a specific amount of time. Emitters have pre-calibrated outputs of 1 gallon per hour, 2 gallons per hour, etc. Drip emitters can be bought in bags of 50 or 100 or more. Be sure to keep a bag or two around as emitters often clog or break.
Folding saw: a handheld mini saw with a blade that folds into the handle, similar to a pocketknife. Useful for clearing paths, cutting small pieces of wood and various other garden tasks.
Forks: forked tools of different sizes and weights used for various garden applications as follows:
Broadfork – a steel head with up to six tines and two long handles, one on each side of the head; typically used to rework ground that’s already been dug up; it does much of what the other forks do in less time.
Digging or spading fork – similar to a garden fork but more lightweight, with four triangular-shaped tines flat on the front, ideal for working in loamy, sandy, loose soils; also good for manual aerating and mixing in nutrients.
Garden fork – four very long, strong and sharp tines on a long handle, ideal for hard, compacted ground otherwise difficult to work in.
Hand fork – a small, handheld, three-tined version of a garden fork ideal for working in small spaces and shallow depths.
Pitchfork or compost fork – long handled and with four tines, the head is usually curved, and the tines are typically very sharp for more efficient scooping — not meant for digging; ideal for turning compost pile or scooping straw and hay.
Garden hose: flexible rubber tube for transporting water around the yard, typically to plants, grass and trees in yards without irrigation systems. It comes in various lengths — 25 feet, 50 feet and 75 feet. There are also different thicknesses or “gauges.”
Garden wagon or cart: used to transport plants, pots or various other supplies around the garden to avoid carrying heavy items, or to wheel away garden clutter. These usually have a handle for pushing and pulling.
Gloves: cloth or leather handwear to protect hands while working with thorny plants, rough soil or rock.
Goggles/safety glasses: heavy-duty plastic eyewear — either clear or shaded — that protects eyes from flying debris, dirt and other outdoor hazards.
Grass shears: a cutting tool available in both manual and power options that resembles a large pair of scissors, but with a variety of different handle styles and lengths. As they are used for detailing manicured grass in hard-to-reach spots, the spot will dictate which style of handle is needed.
Guy wire (not “guide wire” as it’s mistakenly called): used to stabilize trees and shrubs in windy conditions. The wire is cut into sections and one end loops around the plant or tree trunk with the other end looping around a stake or lodge pole.
Hedge shears/clippers: manual handheld clippers used for trimming hedges, shrubs and small tree branches. Useful in tidying up missed pieces and cleaning up sharp edges, especially in formal gardens with heavy manicuring or topiaries.
Hedge trimmers: the power version of hedge clippers that perform the same functions, except they are powered by electricity or gas.
Hoe: used for turning over the soil and cutting through roots by pushing downward. It’s also used for chopping plants from the garden bed and weeding in tight areas.
Hori Hori knife: a Japanese gardening knife with a concave 7” blade for digging, serrated on one side and straight on the other. Designed to be adapted to perform a wide variety of functions where cutting or digging is needed. It works well for digging planting holes, harvesting root crops, digging small trenches and removing weeds.
Hula hoe: a U-shaped metal blade attached to a long handle; it is used for weeding and cultivating. It is favored for enabling weeding while standing upright.
Japanese hand sickle: a cutting tool with a hook-shaped blade on one side and a sharp edge on the other, used to cut grass and weeds.
Kama: also called Nejiri Kama or Japanese weeding sickle, it was first a weapon used in martial arts and self-defense that was later adapted to clear garden beds of weeds in seconds.
Kneeling mat: used to provide protection and cushion when working in the garden from a kneeling position. Sometimes knee pads will be used instead, most commonly by professional irrigators.
Lawn mower: a machine — either pushed while walking behind or ridden/driven — utilizing one or more revolving blades to cut a grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by the design of the mower, but generally is adjustable by the operator. Walk-behind mowers can be manual or powered.
Leaf blower: a machine that blows away leaves, debris and light snow from paths, patios, lawns etc., Uses an electric or gas motor.
Leaf rake: similar to a garden rake but with longer teeth. It is used for raking grass, leaves and other debris into piles and small rows.
Lodge poles: wooden poles blunt on one end and with a sharp taper on the other end for easier penetration of the ground. Once driven into the ground they are used typically in pairs to stabilize trees via guy wire. There are various dimensions but in gardening applications they are typically about 2” in diameter and anywhere from 6 to 9 feet tall.
Long-handled pruners or loppers: a hand pruner with long handles and a pivoting head. This allows the user to reach high branches from the ground without the added hazard of climbing a ladder.
Measuring wheel: a single wheel attached to a handle that is rolled along the ground next to the person holding/walking next to it, and as the wheel moves forward a ticker tracks the linear distance in feet. Used to measure the square footage of areas to determine how much of a certain material is needed.
Peg bag: these multipurpose bags can be filled with garden produce to keep them fresh while you are harvesting or can be used for carrying tools to and from the garden.
Pickax: a tool that consists of a handle with a heavy metal head on one end that is sharp on one end and blunt on the other. The sharp end breaks up hard ground and the blunt end pries objects loose. The tool is held by both hands, lifted up and back over the head and then brought down into the ground with great force.
Pole pounder, post pounder or post rammer: a heavy steel pipe closed on one end and with long handles welded to the sides. It is brought down on top of tree stakes, lodge poles or other posts to drive them into the ground. There are power versions as well.
Pole pruner: a small, sharp saw attached to a long handle designed for trimming and removing tree branches from the safety of the ground.
Poly tubing: refers to the black, flexible polyethylene or PE — not to be confused with polyurethane — tubing that is commonly used for the lateral lines in underground irrigation systems. Poly can be used in conjunction with PVC, or in lieu of. ½-inch poly is the variety most commonly used in garden applications.
Polyurethane foam: a type of rubber used to create flexible padding on some tools such as shovels or spades to make them more comfortable to use.
Post-hole digger: a tool used to dig small to medium holes to insert lodge poles, fence posts, trees or anything else; manual type resembles two spades facing each other, and power version uses an auger. For jobs that need many holes dug, consider renting or buying a power digger, which uses an auger to drill into hard ground.
Pruner: used to cut back branches and small trees with a circular blade attached to the end of an L-shaped pole.
Pruning shears: A very sharp tool with two serrated blades that are hinged together. The handles are usually long enough to fit the entire hand. Used for cutting through branches up to 1″ thick.
Push broom: a straight section of wood or metal with heavy bristles attached to a long handle used for pushing debris on the floor or ground into piles for pick up.
PVC: stands for polyvinyl chloride and refers to the white thermoplastic pipes that are often used in underground irrigation systems. The most commonly used PVC in garden applications is ¾-inch or 1-inch “schedule” 40 (refers to thickness), though sch. 80 is used as well. PVC is best for mainlines, optional for lateral lines.
Rabbiting spade: a narrow, round-ended digging tool with a long blade and a short or long handle. It is used for digging holes to plant trees or shrubs and trenching in narrow areas.
Rake: a hand tool for leveling soil after it has been dug up, smoothing out the surface and lifting cut grass onto a compost heap. Also used on fallen leaves or any other debris that needs to be collected into piles for pickup. Has a long wooden handle with a head made of metal tines that are spread apart at one end then brought together at the other end. There are several different kinds of rakes, depending on the application.
Round-nose shovel: a manual tool consisting of a long handle with a metal head wide on one end — wide enough for shoe placement on either side of the handle — and tapered to a pointy tip on the other. Used for digging in hard soil and cutting through root balls of plants.
Sickle: a sharp, curved blade on a long handle. It is used to cut tall grass or weeds that are difficult to reach with a lawnmower.
Small spade: a small, handheld spade used for digging transplant holes and weeding around plants in tight spaces.
Soil probe: a long metal spike that is inserted into the ground and used to test soil pH and depth.
Spade: a broad, flat blade on a long handle — similar to a shovel but with a smaller head — used for general scooping and shallow digging. Typically used for turning soil and edging beds.
Spaghetti tubing: used in gardens that have in-ground irrigation systems, the popular and widely used term refers to the skinny black poly line that connects to the lateral lines. It’s the “end of the line,” so to speak, in your irrigation system; it’s the portion of tube left sticking out of the ground at the base of plants and trees. An emitter is typically attached at the end, though not required. Spaghetti is typically ¼-inch and can be attached to mini stakes that sink into the soil to hold it in place. Spaghetti is cheap, durable and a key part of any drip irrigation system.
Sprayer: a receptacle typically containing insecticides, fungicides or herbicides that travel through a hose then out a spray head, which has a handle depressed by the operator. There are many types of sprayers including pump, hose end, backpack and trigger sprayers.
Stake: a section of wood similar to lodge poles but generally smaller and lighter, used to stabilize plants or small trees via “ties.”
Swing blade saw: a small handheld chainsaw that can be used for pruning and cutting materials such as firewood.
Tamper or rammer; sometimes called a compactor: a device used to flatten and compact the ground to suit your desired need. There are many types of tampers ranging from smaller manual handheld tools for small areas with soft ground like flower beds to large pieces of power equipment useful when establishing a foundation for retaining walls, walkways and roadways. This little machine can apply up to 2,000 pounds of force to a depth of 6 feet.
Tarp (short for tarpaulin): a section of waterproofed canvas used in landscaping to protect plants and soil from weather conditions or any other application where you might need a waterproof cover. Comes in various sizes and colors.
Ties: used in staking, “ties” refer to the pieces of material that connects the trunk of the tree or plant to the stake or lodge pole. For example, “stakes and ties” is common terminology that includes lodge poles, guy wire and any other materials used in this specific application.
Tool shed: an enclosed structure used solely for the storage of garden tools not in use. This structure also protects the tools from inclement weather, which is important. The shed can be as small or big as need and budget dictates.
Transplanting trowel: a type of hand trowel designed specifically for scooping out holes in preparation for planting transplants or bulbs.
Trowel/hand trowel: a small handheld tool designed for digging small holes in the earth. Has a sharp pointed tip on one end and a flat blade on the other.
Utility knife/shovel: the utility knife has a straight edge and a serrated edge on opposite sides. It can be used for cutting roots, sawing through small branches or scraping up spilled soil from your wheelbarrow. Use the shovel end to dig planting holes and cut roots.
Watering can: a small handheld receptacle that holds water and has a narrow spout on one end. Used to carry and pour water to wet soil or plants.
Weed-eater, string trimmer, line trimmer or weed whacker: a piece of power equipment that consists of a long handle at the end of which is a spinning head that whips the string around fast enough to be able to cut down weeds and grass inaccessible by a lawnmower. This piece of equipment goes by many names, and there are different types.
Weeder: the name says it all; this manual tool is designed for removing weeds. There are many types to choose from including claw-shaped and bulb weeder styles with long handles.
Wheelbarrow: a round metal or plastic bin with handles at either end and an attached wheel used to transport loose and/or heavy materials around the garden in lieu of having to carry them.
Yard cart: cart for carrying tools, plants and materials around your garden. Similar to a wheelbarrow but more closely resembles a wagon.
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