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The Essential Gardening Tools Everyone Should Own

There’s no shortage of clever inventions, bright plastics, or motorised shortcuts in modern gardening. But they rarely last.

In the villages we serve—Ewelme, Great Rollright, Carterton—we see the same tools passed down, year after year. Why? Because a small, well-kept set of hand tools quietly outperforms a shed full of gimmicks.

Here’s what you genuinely need.

A Sharp Pair of Secateurs

The single most-used tool in any garden.

Use them for:

• Deadheading perennials
• Light pruning of shrubs
• Cutting back herbs and soft fruit

Look for bypass blades (not anvil) for cleaner cuts. Oil them. Keep them sharp. And choose a weight that feels right in your hand.

A Border Spade and Fork

You don’t need a full-size digging spade for most village gardens. A border spade—shorter, lighter, better for beds—is often ideal. Pair it with a matching fork.

Use for:

• Dividing perennials
• Turning beds in spring
• Lifting and replanting

In places like Frilford or South Hinksey, where space and access are tight, compact tools are a quiet necessity.

A Hand Trowel and Fork

For potting, planting, or clearing small spaces, nothing replaces a good trowel. Match it with a small fork for breaking up compacted soil.

Look for forged metal—not cheap pressed steel—and wooden handles that age well.

Keep them together. You’ll use them more than you think.

A Half-Moon Lawn Edger

There’s a visible difference between a garden that’s weeded and a garden that’s finished.

A sharp lawn edger keeps borders tidy and lines crisp. It’s especially useful around gravel paths, box hedges, and lawn edges—like the ones often found in Shiplake or Long Hanborough.

A Garden Knife

More versatile than it sounds. A good garden knife can:

• Open compost bags
• Prune climbers
• Split plants at the root

It’s a quiet tool. One to slip in your pocket and use without thinking. Just keep it clean and sharp.

A Watering Can with Rose Head

Hoses have their place—but watering cans allow precision. Especially useful for:

• Newly planted seedlings
• Containers and pots
• Delicate borders

A traditional metal can with a removable rose will last for decades. Ideal for gardens where mains access is limited or where water use needs care.

A Sturdy Trug or Basket

Whether you’re harvesting, weeding, or carrying tools from one bed to another, a wide trug is more useful than you expect.

It encourages tidiness. And it saves you walking back and forth.
In structured gardens like those in Appleton or Bampton, it quietly keeps things in rhythm.

Optional: A Dutch Hoe

Weed early. Weed often. A sharp hoe makes light work of it—and helps preserve moisture by loosening surface soil.

Used properly (and often), it’ll keep gravel drives, veg beds and long borders under control—without harsh sprays or digging.

One Pair of Gloves, One Pair of Secateurs, One Spade

If you only had three tools, it might be these. You don’t need every shiny gadget. You need a few solid pieces you’ll actually reach for.

It’s the principle behind our approach to maintenance too: deliberate, seasonal, restrained. See Seasonal Garden Maintenance: What to Do and When

In Oxfordshire village gardens, tools aren’t decoration. They’re trusted, used, and mended.

And with the right handful, used well, you’ll find you can do more—with less noise, less plastic, and less rush.

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