April showers may bring May flowers, but they need a little help. That’s where you come in! A few afternoons of planting and tending to spring garden will have big returns as the season progresses. But if you’re new to the gardening game, what do you need to get started?
7 Essential Gardening Tools
Scissors. Scissors are one of those tools you can use anywhere. In the garden they’re great for snipping herbs, deadheading flowers, and opening bags of fertilizer. Get a heavy-duty pair with a comfortable grip.- A soil knife. Serrated edges makes soil knives indispensable in the garden. Can’t get the right angle with your scissors or pruning tool? A soil knife can hack through weeds, roots, and woody stems.
- Pruning shears. Scissors and soil knives have their place, but nothing beats the sharp force of pruning shears when cutting back woody plants. They allow gardeners to make a clean, angled cut when shaping trees and shrubs.
- Weeders. Don’t give weeds a fighting chance. A weeder is an essential gardening tool because it helps you pry up crabgrass and weeds with taproots. Get rid of the whole plant, and you won’t need to worry about it growing back.
- A shovel. Scooping, digging, tossing fertilizer . . . a good shovel does it all! But not all shovels are created equal. Before snagging the first one you see, test it. You’ll want a shovel that’s comfortable in your hands, doesn’t strain your back, and has a blade that’s angled for maximum power.
- A hose. In the best of times, nature takes care of watering your plants. But Georgia summers are scorchers, so you’ll want a hose with a nozzle that allows you to spray just the right amount of water onto your plants.
- A rake. Instead of investing in a big fan rake, look for something smaller. Fan rakes are great for leaves, but shrub rakes fit into tighter spaces, making them indispensable for removing lawn debris.
Visit Ace of Gray to stock up on essential gardening equipment, building materials for raised flower beds, and colorful annuals and perennials for the spring garden.
