Garden Shed Essentials Everything you need to maintain your patch.
To keep your patch perfect, be sure to have the right tools for the job, writes Sunny Bell.
Roam the aisles of any hardware store and you’ll see hundreds of items you could potentially purchase for your garden. Alongside the staples of shovels, sprinklers and mowers, you’ll find everything from mulch forks to cordless pruners. As appealing as all these shiny things may be, there comes a point when you have to ask yourself, “What do I actually need?”
There are a couple of basic products that everyone should have ready in their gardening arsenal, says Matthew Hoffmann, garden hand-tool buyer at Bunnings. “A trowel, hand fork, weeder and gardening gloves will cover you for the majority of projects,” he advises.
“If you have a more substantial plot to maintain, a rake, broom, shovel, hoe and pitchfork are all useful additions.
“For roses, shrubs and small tree branches, pruners and secateurs will see you through,” says Hoffmann. “A pruning saw with a curved blade makes cutting easier.” For large branches, a tree lopper with long handles for better leverage may also be useful, he adds.
Working with blunt secateurs can be intensely frustrating and damage plants, says landscape designer Matt Leacy, director of Sydney’s Landart Landscapes. “Invest in a good-quality pair and, if you feel your hands aren’t all that strong, I suggest you go for ratchet secateurs,” he advises. “These will enable you to cut through branches you would not normally be able to.”
Like anything else, garden implements perform better and last longer when they’re shown a little care. Never leave them outside unnecessarily. Maintain any timber handles with an annual oiling (a 50/50 mix of linseed oil and turpentine is recommended) and consider investing in a sharpening stone to keep your blades in optimum cutting condition.
The size and scope of your garden will dictate what you require in the way of powered tools. If you haven’t purchased one in a while, you’re in for a pleasant surprise, says Joel Hawkins, category manager of lawn and garden products for Briggs & Stratton, the company that owns the iconic Victa mower brand.
“Push-button and easy-start engines are improvements we get a lot of positive feedback on,” says Hawkins. “Petrol engines are also quieter, lighter and smaller. And of late, lithium batterypowered garden tools have also seen a lot of growth. These innovations have made power tools easy to use and more reliable.”
In battery-powered tools, there’s been a shift from 12V to 18V and some now go up to 54V, augmenting the amount of energy delivered. Battery chemistry and motor design have also advanced, says Cam Beecroft of Stanley Black & Decker product development. “Higher voltages make the performance of these models on a par with, and in some cases superior to, their petrol counterparts. Newer ‘brushless’ motors run on electronic circuitry so they’re more efficient and consume less energy, while lithium batteries provide greater energy in a smaller, lighter pack.”
Add to this the convenient portability of cordless models and the fact that some brands offer interchangeable battery packs. “The same battery can power a whole family of tools,” says Beecroft.
So, what are the most essential power tools? For a smaller garden, a line trimmer and lawnmower might be enough, says Hawkins. “But if you have a bigger, tree-filled garden with hedges, you’d get a lot of use out of a blower, chainsaw, mulcher and hedge trimmer.”
With hedge trimmers, consider the ergonomics, starting systems and anti-vibration features as well as the blade material, Hawkins advises. For a blower vacuum, think about what you’ll be using it on: large or small leaves, twigs or dust? “The velocity, airflow and design of the nozzle are important factors to consider because they impact on how leaves and debris are blown or collected,” says Hawkins. “Test the weight of the product and check how easy it is to start.”
As for mowers, work out what you want to spend and shop around for the best deal, says Leacy. He recommends visiting a mower specialist for advice. “Someone who has a hectare of garden is going to be looking for something different to someone on 50m2. It’s good to test a mower in person, to feel its weight and see whether there are any options that will simplify the job, such as a selfpropelled model or a large catcher.”
‘[BEFORE YOU BUY A POWERED GARDEN TOOL] TEST THE WEIGHT OF THE PRODUCT AND CHECK HOW EASY IT IS TO START.’ JOEL HAWKINS, BRIGGS & STRATTON