Season After Season: The Corona Blog

5 Essential Garden Tools for the New Homeowner

Posted by Chris Sabbarese on Fri, Jun, 28, 2019 @ 14:06 PM

Sold HomeWe recently had a young couple move in next door to us. They moved from a one bedroom apartment, into a home with an established front and back yard they need to maintain. Of course, me being the tool geek I am, I started talking to them about what tools they need to take care of their property. Having trees, shrubs, lawn and flowers, I came up with a list of essential tools that would help them maintain their new property. Top of my list for our new neighbors; a pair of loppers, hand pruners, folding saw, rake and shovel. Why these tools? Keep reading to find out and share you suggestions in the comments.

Maintaining the Established Yard

So you buy a home with a landscaped front and back yard. With some nice trees, a lawn, plenty of shrubs and flowers that eventually will need pruning and maintenance. With my new neighbor just getting started with a new home and a new baby on the way, buying power tools can be expensive.  Also noisy tools can startle a baby or wake them up from their nap. And let's face it, no one ever wants to make that mistake! I'd also highly recommend saving the power lawn mower for a time when mom takes the baby out for a walk or runs to the store.

Screen Shot 2019-06-28 at 10.54.25 AM

The Essential Tools

With my young neighbors in mind I put together this list of helpful hand tools that can get the job done for them. They are admittedly new to the caring for the yard, and it's not something they necessarily find joy in doing. So the tools I selected, were designed to help make the tasks easier and getting the job done quickly.

DualLINK™ Bypass Lopper - these loppers provide assistance with making cuts. It has a compound lever that amplifies the amount of force, requiring less effort to get through a cut. Think of a lifting a heavy weight tied to a with a series of pulleys. One pulley puts 100% of the weight on you. Add more pulleys and the task becomes much easier. That's what DualLINK provides. They also have ComfortGEL® grips and a ShockGaurd™ bumper system so you won't feel sore the next day.

SL 4264-in use_

FlexDIAL® Bypass Pruner - I chose this hand pruner for a couple reasons. The adjustable dial allows them to both use the tool and get a custom fit for their hand size. He can use them on the widest setting to prune back branches and stems up to 3/4 in. And she can use them with a lower setting to go out, and cut some roses to bring in the house. When the baby gets older and wants to go help in the garden, setting FlexDIAL to 1 can be a great tool they can use too. Supervised of course!

BP 4214-In Use_2

RazorTOOTH Saw® - 8 in Folding Saw - This is one of the most helpful tools for any household. It makes quick work of larger limbs and branches, with a well-designed blade, that helps keep the cutting channel free of saw dust and pulp. Just a few pull strokes is all it takes to complete a cut. They also come in handy for going camping, out on the trails and for cutting off the bottom of the Christmas tree before you bring it inside.

RS-7255-in-use

Spring Brace Rake - Since my neighbor will be cutting his own lawn, a rake is essential to help rake up the grass clippings that don't make it in the catcher. The magnolia leaves that fall in the summer here can also clutter the lawn quickly in between mowings so this will help keep things tidy.

Corona Spring Brace Rake


#2 Round Point Shovel - Inevitably, once you're in a new home for a while, you're going to want to make some personal changes to make your landscape reflect your personality and tastes. That's when you start looking at the shrub that was planted long before you moved in and think it's time to be replaced with something else. Having a shovel to dig up, plant or remove a plant, is work most every new homeowner will want to do.

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What More Could You Use?

So far my neighbor has appreciated my suggestion and I've seen them out using some of their new tools already. I told him that if he ever has a need for something else, I know a guy who might have the right tool for the job. For those who have recently moved into a new home, tell us in the comments what you found to be your essential tools for maintaining your landscape and garden!

 

 

Topics: gardening, Landscaping, plants, tools, shrubs

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