If you're out of ideas but still have names on your giving list, a Fresno Bee story reprinted this week in the Denver Post is a reminder that with good tools, you can never go wrong. For the woodworker, cook, seamstress, photographer, computer geek and backpacker, the latest top-quality tools are always appreciated. The same goes for gardeners - whether they do little more than mandatory weed clearing or strive to grow all their own food.
For the article, UC Cooperative Extension horticulture advisor Michelle LeStrange shared with reporter Nzong Ziong her personal top garden tool picks. In no particular order, she listed a Hula-ho, hand-held pruners, a shovel, gloves and a five-gallon bucket.
The reporter also spoke to a nurseryowner about his most-essential gardening tools. In addition to gloves and pruners, he suggests a bulb planter and six-inch-wide rake.
I'm with LeStrange on the Hula-ho, which is my favorite gardening tool. It is great at pulling out weeds quickly and easily, so you can leave the herbicides on the store shelves, and (a little known fact) if you turn it upside down, it works great for spreading and smoothing soil and mulch.