The best gardening tools aren't necessarily the most expensive, they're the ones you reach for without thinking, that do the job cleanly and last for years. Here are the tools the team at Lawsons Group recommends most often, and the ones serious gardeners keep coming back to.
A note before I start: the team at Lawsons stocks most of what I mention here, and the advice you'll get in store is honest and comes from people who actually use the tools. Worth a visit if you're serious about quality.
The digging and cultivating tools
Bulldog stainless steel border spade. My most-used digging tool. The stainless head doesn't rust, doesn't need oiling, and soil slides off it more easily than carbon steel. The border spade size, slightly smaller than a full spade, is more manoeuvrable in beds and less tiring on a long digging session. Buy once and look after it, and it'll still be going strong a decade later.
Azada mattock. If you've never used one, you're missing something. The azada is a traditional European tool, a long-handled mattock with a deep blade, and it's brilliant for breaking up compacted ground, chopping through weeds, and making shallow furrows for sowing. Once you get used to using it, you'll wonder how you managed without one.
Swan-neck hoe. The essential weeding tool. A good swan-neck hoe used regularly in dry weather cuts annual weeds off below the surface without disturbing deeper soil structure. The key is using it shallowly and frequently, five minutes every week is far more effective than an hour once a month.
The precision tools
Felco No. 2 secateurs. The standard bearer. The replaceable springs and blades mean they last practically forever with basic maintenance. Every serious gardener ends up with a pair.
Silky folding saw. For branches that are too thick for secateurs and too small for a bow saw. The Japanese-style pull saw cuts on the pull stroke and goes through wood remarkably quickly. A folding version is safe in a pocket and genuinely useful for fruit tree pruning and clearing woody growth.
Stainless steel hand fork and trowel set. The two tools you use every single day if you're regularly potting, planting, or weeding. Buy the best quality you can afford, cheap versions bend, and the ergonomics matter when you're using something for hours at a stretch.
Things that make life easier but aren't strictly tools
A good wheelbarrow. The quality of a wheelbarrow matters more than people expect. A well-balanced barrow with a pneumatic tyre is effortless to manoeuvre. A cheap, heavy one with a solid rubber tyre will make you dread every load.
Knee pads or a kneeler. Often overlooked but worth buying from the start. If you're spending any serious time in the garden, looking after your knees is not optional. A simple foam kneeling pad is one of the most useful things you own.
You can browse a good selection of quality tools at Lawsons Group, and if you're not sure what to choose, asking in branch will always get you an honest answer from someone who knows.
