Hand trucks are a must-have for heavy moving

This is a tool that digs, plants, weeds, cuts, makes a row, backfills, and looks like a deadly ninja weapon. —Susan Calhoun

For smaller jobs, try the mini shovel

When you first see this tiny tool, you might have to stifle a snicker. But once you get over the shock of the Corona Multi-Purpose Mini Shovel, you’ll start imagining all the things it would be good for—planting in small spaces, to name one. It looks like the offspring of a full-size shovel and a trowel. The wooden handle, made of ash, and the tempered steel blade make it stronger than it appears as well.

The “girl shovel” is what my contractors call it. So many of them ask to borrow it when installing irrigation or in tight spots. I buy one, paint it pink, and then tell them I’ll give them one if they’ll use the pink version. They laugh and laugh, but every time I see them on jobs, these huge guys still have their little pink girl shovel. —Stacie Crooks

Whether you’re planting a shrub or prying out a boulder, the King of Spades All Steel Nursery Spade is the only tool you’ll need, according to several of our experts. This line of shovels comes in an array of blade and handle sizes as well as styles (pictured is one with a 13-inch blade and 54-inch handle), but all are made of aircraft-quality tubing with heavy steel blades. Be sure to add on a handy-dandy rubber foot-pad attachment for easier digging.

I can’t remember how many times I have broken wooden-handled shovels. This baby refuses to break, and I use it all the time. Its long blade cuts deeper into the soil than other spades, yielding a larger root ball, which results in less transplant shock. —Andy Brand

A soil knife is an unconventional yet invaluable tool

If you have ever committed the sin of using pruners to quickly dig out a weed or cut through the roots of a plant, please invest in the A. M. Leonard Deluxe Stainless Steel Soil Knife. Use it to plant small transplants and bulbs, slice through dense roots, and even cut twine. The wide rubberized handle makes the knife easy to grip. Buying this tool might add years to your pruners too.

I always keep this tool right next to my pruners on my belt—it is indispensable for weeding with its serrated edge. I also use this knife to plant small perennials, and it comes in handy when teasing roots apart prior to planting container-grown material. —Andy Brand

Avoid electrocution and fumes with a battery-powered hedge trimmer

Even if you don’t have a formal boxwood hedge, you need a trimmer. Fall cleanup goes twice as fast when you can use a power trimmer to cut back clumping perennials, as opposed to using pruners to painstakingly cut a handful at a time. The Black & Decker 40-Volt Cordless Hedge Trimmer is a great choice because you won’t have to drag around a long extension cord or worry about filling/maintaining a gas engine. Be warned: The battery is sold separately with this model, but a charge lasts surprisingly long—6,000 square feet trimmed per charge.

You wouldn’t want to use this for pruning your 500-foot privacy hedge, but it’s great for smaller jobs. It will make quick work of cutting back clumps of ornamental grasses or Siberian iris or of sculpting topiary, if that’s your thing. —Jason Reeves

This brand of pruners has long been the industry standard—and for good reason. The blades are made of high-quality steel, while the rubber-coated aluminum handles are lightweight and easy to grip. Several experts have sung the praises of Felcos, but for left-handers, Felco 9s are an invaluable purchase. For righties, try the comparable F-8.

Many knockoffs are out there, but there is no substitute for Felco’s quality—specifically, the F-9, since I am left-handed. I have had mine for 30 years, and they’re still going strong. —Bill Cullina

It might sound like an exaggeration, but it’s not: Okatsune Bypass Pruners are made the same way as samurai swords are—by forge-laminating hardened steel in a sandwich of softer steel. The result is a pruner that anyone would be happy to go into horticultural battle with. The steel blade is razor sharp and, although not replaceable, is easy to sharpen. The spring-loaded locking/unlocking feature allows you to open and close these with one hand, which our nursery experts appreciated. Okatsune 103 (pictured) is the standard model, but the company does make a smaller pruner for smaller hands.

The blade stays very sharp, is easy to clean and sharpen, and is extremely durable. I have a pair I’ve used almost every day for 27 years. —Ed Gregan

Branches tremble when they see this handsaw coming

Employees at botanic gardens often have this amazing tool hanging from their belts (in a sheath, of course). The Silky Gomtaro 240 Root-Cutting handsaw has what the company describes as a “precision-ground, razor-sharp blade with 4 cutting angles that provide a fast, clean, and extremely smooth cutting action.” We’d probably just say it’s really freaking sharp. The cushioned rubber handle ensures that you won’t accidentally let this deadly tool slip out of your grip. The 9½-inch blade is large enough to cut through fairly thick branches too.

The blade doesn’t break like most stuff on the market, and it cuts roots as well as branches. When botanizing overseas, I don’t leave home without it. —Tony Avent

If you have some pruning that is too big for hand pruners but not worth the effort of breaking out the chainsaw, orchard loppers are your savior. Corona’s High-Performance Orchard Loppers are made of lightweight aluminum, so your shoulders won’t ache after a day of garden chores. The steel bypass blades are super sharp, leading to clean cuts (and they are easy to sharpen!). This model can take down a branch up to 2¼ inches in diameter despite weighing only a little more than 2 pounds.

They are extremely lightweight and cut like a hot knife through butter! I’m addicted to pruning and could not live without orchard loppers. —Barbara Weirich

Long-reach, telescoping pruners get into difficult spots

The conventional wisdom is that any pruning that requires a ladder should be done by a professional arborist. Thanks to the ARS Long-Reach Telescoping Pruner, you’ll be making far fewer calls to that arborist. The arm length can be extended from 4 to 7 feet or from 6 to 10 feet (depending on the model), and the large blades are capable of cutting branches up to ¼ inch. Specific models have a cut-and-hold feature (pictured), enabling you to guide where the pruned material drops. This could come in handy if you’re trying not to squash the garden below with errant pruning debris.

When your garden has deep borders, you simply cannot exist without long-reach pruners. —Barbara Weirich

Pests such as aphids and spider mites like to hide on the undersides of leaves, and there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to apply a dose of organic insecticide in those tricky spots. Ordinary spray bottles (like those that come prefilled with liquid pest remedies) don’t work when tipped upside down. Enter the Chapin Upside Down Trigger Sprayer, designed to work when you need to spray underneath the leaves of a plant. Each bottle holds 32 fluid ounces.

A glove that fits snugly and lasts a long time

If you’re like a lot of gardeners and go through gloves like toilet paper, you might want to try Showa Atlas 370 Nitrile Gloves (photo above). They’re lightweight and very stretchy, allowing you to bend your fingers around weeds without feeling inhibited. However, a pliable rubber/nitrile coating on the palms gives them the toughness of heavier-duty gloves. Bonus: They hold up well against multiple trips through the washing machine.

These gloves provide a much higher level of dexterity than cloth or heavier rubber gloves do. I’ve also found them in a 3-pack—perfect for people like me who manage to lose several pairs every year. —Susan Morrison

Although possibly not the first tool that jumps to mind when it comes to gardening, a proper ladder can literally mean the difference between life and death. And though there are many aerial tasks better left to professionals, sometimes you just need a ladder (think trimming hedges, picking fruit, or occasional pruning). The Hasegawa Tripod Ladder (available in several sizes) is super stable—even on uneven ground. It has a wide base, deep steps, and an adjustable back leg for rough terrain. The biggest surprise with this well-built piece? How incredibly light it is. The 7-foot model (pictured) weighs less than 20 pounds.

The stability of this ladder is greatly reassuring; plus, the tripod design allows me to get in close to where I need to be. My old ladders now sit idle while my Hasegawa and I roam the garden looking for projects. —Gary Lewis

Lighter than the typical garden rake, it’s easier to work a potato fork quickly around objects and quickly flick stones and debris to the side. It’s a pretty good back scratcher too. —Ed Gregan

The weird but practical award goes to . . . the nut picker-upper

This unique tool looks like it should come with a hamster that runs around the metal cage at the end. The admittedly strange appearance of the Holt’s Nut Wizard, however, does not detract from its amazing nut-gathering abilities. If you have nut-producing trees like oak or black walnut, you know that picking up all those nuts can be an exhausting and back-breaking chore. But if you leave them on the ground, they’ll sprout thousands of seedlings next year. And if you attempt to mow the lawn, you risk shooting acorns around like deadly projectiles. Simply roll the caged end around, and the flexible wires part for easy collection. Different sizes are available based on the nut size (pictured is the 12-inch Nut Wizard).

I love the way the toothed tines cut through the heaviest clay soil, but the open areas in the “body” reduce the compaction that I would get with a solid-bladed spade. —Tony Fulmer

Tip 1: After using steel garden tools, clean any soil or debris from them with a wire brush, and then wipe them down with an oil rag. Encrusted soil and rust make tools heavier and less effective.