10 Essential Spring Garden Tools to Buy Now

Hands Free

Need an extra hand in the garden? Slip on this combination apron/smock with a pouch that carries small tools, seed packets, work gloves and more. The Roo also holds harvested veggies or pulled weeds. When the pouch is full, open it at the bottom and let veggies slide out onto your table, or dump weeds into the compost pile. Aprons come in charcoal gray, leaf green, pink peony and purple orchid.  

Hand in Glove

Unleash your inner Wolverine with gloves that feature built-in "claws." Made of waterproof materials, Genie Garden gloves let you dig in beds and borders without getting dirty and help protect your hands from thorns and briars. One size fits most men or women. The gloves are also available with claws on only one hand.

Got Your Back

Hoeing in hard soil is tough on your back. A long-handled hoe with a sharp edge makes the job easier and slices weeds just below the soil surface. This hoe has a 6-1/2" head forged from high-carbon, Swedish boron steel and a hardwood handle with a curved neck, so you can stand straighter when you work.

Look Sharp

A great garden knife can handle a lot of chores, from digging to slicing through roots and chopping weeds. The Hori Hori is a lightweight tool with a stainless-steel blade and a full tang (that is, the stainless steel extends into the handle, so the blade won't bend or break). One edge of the blade is serrated, for sawing. The other is razor-sharp, for cutting. Comes with a leather sheath for storage.

Get the Kinks Out

Just as the sun takes a toll on unprotected skin, it can damage your garden hose. Hoses left in the yard eventually become brittle and prone to kinking, so when you try to water your plants, you have to wrestle them back into shape. Flexzilla's hose is made from a hybrid polymer that stays flat and flexible and coils easily for storage.

Water Feature

A watering can with two handles—one fixed, and one hinged—eases the strain on your wrists and helps you give thirsty plants a quick sprinkle or a big gulp. This can has an offset filling hole, so it's easy to fill from a faucet or garden hose. It holds 2.6 gallons and has a rotating spout to help control the flow. 

In the Weeds

Don't lose your golf ball in the weeds. Don't let your valuable plants get swallowed up by them, either. This harpoon-shaped tool has a head with angled prongs, so you can easily remove nuisance plants, even if they're growing near the base of your garden favorites. Made of hand-forged stainless steel, the Precision Weeder has a durable cherry wood handle.  

Dig Deep

Clay soil meets its match in this trowel with a rounded point and sharp, beveled edge. Its boron-steel blade also slices through roots and can be used as a scoop to dig holes or fill containers with potting soil. Sold with a large head that measures 7.25" long x 3.25", or a medium head that is 6" long x 3" wide.

Go Long

Along with bypass pruners that cut branches up to one inch thick, you'll probably want bypass loppers for bigger limbs and branches. This lopper's telescoping handles go long, from 27-33", to extend your reach and increase your leverage. Double gears make the work of trimming overgrown trees and shrubs twice as easy.

Cut-Ups

Swiss-made Felco F-2 bypass pruners keep your landscape on the cutting edge. The long-lasting steel blade can be re-sharpened or replaced, and other replacement parts are widely available. The pruners make clean, smooth cuts up to one inch in diameter. Try the Felco F-6 if you have small hands and prefer a more lightweight tool.