Must-Have Tools for Beautiful Landscaping

If you’re new to homeownership, you may be at a loss as to how to maintain your landscape. Perhaps you have simply never lived in a situation where you were in charge of your yard, or maybe you want to take your landscape to the next level with new beds, paths, or vegetable gardens. Regardless of your personal landscaping goals, the first step to your landscaping journey is to make sure that you have the proper tools on hand. The correct tools can be the difference between an arduous, dreadful project, and a fun one! There are a number of tools that will make your life a lot easier and result in beautiful landscaping, but here is the starter set we recommend.

Power tools certainly help make difficult jobs easier, but you’re always going to need some good old-fashioned hand tools to get many projects done.

1. Shovels. Nearly every landscaping project, from planting to laying stone to grading an area, will require a shovel at some point. We recommend getting both a square point shovel (great for scooping and smoothing) and a round point shovel (ideal for digging deeply or into hard soil). While each can be used for any purpose, it’s often much easier to have both on hand so that you can pick the best one for the job. For the longest-lasting shovels, choose ones with fiberglass handles. While wood is great, it requires more maintenance to ensure its longevity. Most professionals simply choose to go with fiberglass.
2. Rakes: Again, one rake can work just fine, but it’s best to have one of each of the two main kinds–a steel rake, and a leaf rake. Steel rakes are good for scouring the ground, gathering rocks, etc. Leaf rakes are generally plastic, and pick up debris on top of the ground without digging into the soil.
3. Pruners:  Get yourself a good pair of hand pruners and long-handled pruning shears. Both will come in handy on many occasions. If you have to pick only one though, go with longer, wider-mouthed shears that can be used on a wide range of branch sizes.

More Power to You

Some jobs you just can’t do by hand. To kickstart your garage of power tools and make your life a lot easier, you’ll want to be sure you have:

1. Weed whacker: This is a must-have tool for any yard with groundcover that grows taller than a few inches. Even if you choose to let some areas of your yard grow up, there will always be a use for a good weed whacker.
2. Lawn mower: While shorter, alternative lawn species are becoming more popular, turfgrass still occupies over 40 million acres throughout the United States. All the grass needs to be mowed to be kept healthy and tidy. Luckily, lawn mower technology has come a long way as well. Go with a traditional gas lawn mower, or opt for a corded or battery-powered one if you have a smaller lawn. Regardless, your lawn mower will be one of your best friends when it comes to landscape management.
3. Hedge trimmer: While not as essential as the other two, a hedge trimmer certainly makes pruning boxwoods and other landscaping plants much easier. Invest in a good hedge trimmer if you’re particular about the uniformity of your landscaping.

Come to Big Earth Landscaping Supply for all of your garden supply and lawn care needs. Beautiful landscaping is what we do – how can we help you?