What to begin with? A trowel; but not just any trowel. I want you to find the best you can afford. This is one tool not to skimp on, and if you shop garage sales or auctions it need not be expensive. It should feel comfortable in the hand with the strongest shank, solidly connected to the handle or even one with it. A strong heavy steel is preferred. The trowel is used for every garden endeavor from containers to borders to bulb planting; it can weed, dig, cultivate, divide plants, work in edging bricks, pry out small rocks. You name it, the sturdy garden trowel can do it. If you should decide to economize on this tool, you will regret it. Several replacements that don't work properly are not an economy. I have broken one or two and my boys- well, let's just say when it comes to breaking tools, they manage a superior job. My favorite was a West German (that dates me!) solid steel trooper. Unfortunately, it has disappeared and I do miss it -never found it's equal. A good one will cost around ten to twenty dollars, and worth every penny.

Next, the spade: there are several types and I like having three kinds, but the most basic is the long handled rounded digging spade. Some might like the same type with the D-handle. This is necessary for moving larger amounts of dirt and digging borders; it can handle edging, dividing large perennials, moving plants, shrubs, grubbing out unwanted woody plants, and planting wanted ones. A straight bladed spade is a good edger, and the long bladed nursery spade is very useful. The garden fork has excellent results in everything but moving soil and edging.

There are no substitutes for the cutting tools, hedge shears and pruners. These are needed to trim bushes, overgrown perennials or dead stalks, deadhead flowers, trim roses, and remove small dead branches. Loppers handle all large unwieldy branches from bushes and trees. The pruning saw is for larger branches, I like the Japanese hand saw for something too large for loppers, and a bow saw for hand cutting very large branches. I leave the chainsaw work to guys.

Actually, a wheel barrow is not necessary- just something to haul plants, soil amendments, tools, etc. from place to place in the yard. A child's wagon will do. After several trips to the tool shed you will determine the need level for the hauling apparatus yourself, (not to mention your back warning you to use it less and your brain more). Most tools are subject to the job priority: grass and vegetable gardening require the garden rake and hoe. Roses and thorny bushes need the gloves and loppers. You may substitute tools, but some perform jobs better: the weeding tools, the adze is my personal favorite, are vastly superior to the trowel for that job, even though it will get the job done. Hope this helps you to buy what you need for a happy gardening experience.

An addendum here... even though a wheel barrow is not necessary, some sort of wheeled cart sure is handy for hauling tools around with you and garden cleanup, I have gone through several here ( ok, my kids are hard on things...longer story than I want to go into right now - maybe I'll write some stories in my blog.) And another useful thing I didn't mention is the garden tote. These organize my tools - and after a tiring day of weeding it helps to just have all the hand tools in one place to bring back to the house. Not something you have to have, but something you end up being grateful for if you do much gardening. Plus this is a way to keep things tidy, even if you have a small garden and "hauling things around" doesn't hold so much importance.

Winter Season

Books to read and gardeners goodies, Garden Sundries aStore.

Garden Niceties

A couple of things that are nice for gardening and with use might find its way into the 'necessary' category for you would be a pair of garden boots, known as Wellies in England. Or for this climate, the colorful plastic clogs, which I find more useful in the humid summers. These are great for tromping around in the soil, whether moist or dry. They slip on and off and are waterproof, stainproof, and dried mud is just knocked off. You also may find a large galvanized watering can useful, especially if you have many plant containers to water.

Garden Hoses! Get a good quality hose with quality brass fittings, and find sprayers that do the job you desire, these, too, will be a money and time saver if you purchase with quality rather than economy in mind. I recently bought some at Target on sale, a long handled one and a short handled. If you have container plants on the porch the long handled sprayer attachment is really going to be handy. I have found those black perforated soaker hoses good for my drought-given summers. They preserve water that would get evaporated into the air with the use of regular sprinklers. Although, the kids have more fun with the sprinklers. Another nicety which can easily turn necessity ( if you have enough length of hose) is some sort of Garden Hose Reel , I haven't found the perfect type yet, but it is better to have one than to struggle with dragging lots of hose all over th eyard in a tangled mess. Ok, now I am telling stories on myself...

• Garden cart or wheel barrow
• An organizer tote for tools
• a rack to hang (and find) all these new important tools

More garden links: What to do with Fall Leaves and Planning Your Garden[coming soon]

Some really tool quotes