San Diego Floral Association

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Favorite Tool: Ornamental Tools

Reprinted from: November/December 2010, Volume 101, Number 6
© SAN DIEGO FLORAL ASSOCIATION. This story may not be published in any form or copied onto another website without written permission from San Diego Floral Association.

For backyard gardeners and small-plot farmers, these four garden tools will be in constant use. The clippers are expensive but worth every penny. The dinner fork is free.

• Felco clippers #6: Use for clipping and deadheading. For small hands, these are more compact and comfortable than the larger Felco #2 clippers. The #6 tool is a by-pass clipper, which can be sharpened to cut clean cuts. All parts can be repaired or replaced. Suggested retail price is $59. Look for them at specialty nurseries or shop online at Amazon.com.
  
• Short-handled hand rake: These short, slim rakes allow you to kneel down and work in tight planting areas without damaging plants and roots. I prefer one that is about 20 inches long with 7 to 9 narrow tines. An invaluable substitute for your hands to reach between and under rose bushes and other shrubs. Black & Decker’s Fan Rake is about $8. Look for it at home improvement stores. Similar rakes are available from www.shovelandhoe.com.
  
• D-handled spade: This shovel, sometimes called a tile or drain spade, has a long, narrow blade and a fiberglass handle in a D-shape for easy gripping. It is a convenient size with many uses, including: digging in a crowded bed, digging up old plants and small trees, digging planting holes and opening a sliver of soil for seed and seedling planting. Look for this shovel at home improvement stores.
  
• Dinner fork: Use to remove small weeds and grasses. Nothing works better in flower beds, especially after a rain when the soil is soft, than a common dinner fork. Choose an old fork you won’t mind losing in the garden. The tines of the fork can be inserted under the weed to loosen the soil and lift the weed cleanly from the soil.
  
  – Carvill Veech

© SAN DIEGO FLORAL ASSOCIATION. This story may not be published in any form or copied onto another website without written permission from San Diego Floral Association.

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