Professional gardeners rely heavily on their tools to make physically demanding tasks easier.
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Whether you’re sowing seeds, pruning shrubs or maintaining a lawn, using the best tools for the job will help you work quicker. Time is money, so investing in quality will not only save you blood, sweat and tears, but help you earn more money.
This guide will help you to build a reliable and professional gardening toolkit.
Your tools are going to be worked hard, so there’s no point going for the cheapest ones on the market. You’ll only end up shelling out more in the long run, with every new replacement.
Here are a few key reasons why it’s worth investing in quality tools:
Cheap tools often come disguised as more expensive tools. Here’s what to look out for to help you weed out poor imitations.
There are 7 gardening hand tools that no gardener should be without. These are likely to get used daily for basic planting, weeding and maintenance tasks and are where you should consider making the biggest investment.
These 7 key tools are:
Most of these tools will come in a variety of different shapes and sizes to suit different people and tasks. Make sure that you’ve tried holding each tool in person before buying to ensure that they’re a comfortable size and fit for you.
As well as the essentials, professional gardeners need a few more specialist tools in their arsenal. Here are some of the most useful:
Burgon and Ball – tools by Burgeon and Ball outperform the British standard load test by over 50% and come with a lifetime guarantee against manufacturing defects. They’re also endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
Felco – a favourite brand amongst gardeners worldwide, Felco are known for their high quality, long-lasting secateurs. These Swiss made products come with a lifetime guarantee as all parts are replaceable.
Niwaki – known for their innovative Japanese designs and good quality steel and craftsmanship, Niwaki tools are highly ergonomic and lightweight, making them efficient and comfortable to use.
WOLF-Garten – Innovative German design and decent craftsmanship make this reliable brand popular with professional gardeners. The brand offers a 35-year warranty on their multi-star tools, 3 years on electric tools and 10 years on hand tools and trimmers.
Spear and Jackson – hand-forging tools in the UK since 1760, Spear and Jackson tools are ergonomically designed for high levels of comfort, perfect for the professional gardener. Made from the toughest and most durable materials, there is a 10-year warranty on their range of hand tools.
Bulldog – this UK-made brand makes forged steel tools with exceptional strength and longevity. They also offer a 15-year warranty.
When tackling large garden projects and heavy-duty tasks, hand tools just won’t cut it. You’ll require help from power tools for tasks like mowing the lawn and maintenance of larger shrubs and trees.
Lawnmower – you’ll require a durable mower that can be relied upon not to break down and to make your work easier. Some of the top lawnmower brands for commercial use include:
Cutters and strimmers – cutting and pruning plants of different shapes and sizes can be strenuous and time-consuming work without the correct tools. To get things done quickly and with ease, different types of cutter are required for different jobs. Here are a some of the power tools that you might want to consider adding to your toolkit.
Garden machinery like rotavators, turf cutters and cultivators will make quick work of preparing and maintaining large areas of land.
Below you’ll find some of the most common types of garden machinery and the jobs they can help you tackle:
Stihl –Stihl are renowned worldwide for their power tool products and offer a 2-year warranty.
Camon – a brand that has become synonymous with the hire industry due to their products’ durability, quality and longevity.
Flymo – this brand has become a household name because of their reliable garden tools and machinery. Flymo products come with a 12-month warranty.
Makita – as the foremost manufacturer of power tools in the world, Makita can be relied on for excellence in their design and manufacture of garden tools and machinery. They also offer a 3-year warranty on products.
Husqvarna – they have over 300 years’ experience in the industry and produce professional garden tools that are reliable, comfortable to use, and efficient.
The company is the world’s best garden tools manufacturer supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.
Bosch – offering a range of professional cordless tools with an innovative long-lasting battery system, Bosch’s range of products are designed to perform well and offer flexibility and ease of use.
Depending on the type of work you specialise in, it may be more cost-effective to hire large pieces of garden machinery as and when you require them rather than buy them.
Businesses offering equipment to hire usually provide flexible hire options to suit the size of the job. You should be able to choose to hire machinery for a day, weekend, or a week, and add an extra day when required at a cheaper rate. The benefits are:
Please note, some machines may not have like for like specifications, so always check that the size and power of the machine is suitable for your job.
Machine Brand 1 day Weekend Week Extra day Rotavator HSS £48 £60 £96 £24 Homebase £115.83 £152.44 £189.05 £36.61 Phil’s Tool Hire £25 £37.50 £50 £12.50 Brandon Hire £98.50 £131.33 £164.16 x Jewson £58.80 £82.32 £117.60 £29.40 Cultivator HSS £25.50 £31.88 £51 £12.75 Homebase £67.01 £87.35 £107.69 £20.34 Phil’s Tool Hire X X X X Brandon Hire £170.28 £227.04 £283.80 X Jewson X X X X Turf cutter HSS £84.38 £105.47 £168.75 £42.19 Homebase £103.62 £136.17 £168.71 £32.54 Phil’s Tool Hire £35 £52.50 £80 £17.50 Brandon Hire £157.50 £210 £262.50 X Jewson £96.60 £135.24 £193.20 £48.30 Lawn aerator HSS £94 £117.50 £188 £47 Homebase £119.90 £157.86 £195.83 £37.97 Phil’s Tool Hire £60 £90 £120 £30 Brandon Hire X X X X Jewson X X X X Lawn scarifier HSS £36.25 £45.32 £72.50 £18.12 Homebase £46.67 £60.23 £73.79 £13.56 Phil’s Tool Hire £27.50 £41.25 £55 £13.75 Brandon Hire £87.70 £116.93 £146.16 X Jewson £52.92 £74.09 £105.84 £26.46All prices valid as of 15th March 2018
If you’re investing in good tools you’ll want to make sure that you’re caring for them correctly to keep them in top condition.
You can extend their life by:
Read more: Find out how Charlie Benton, gardener, grew his business and client base.
That being said, if you are new to the professional gardening trade, knowing which tools you need can be tricky. Similarly, finding the best ways to protect your tools - and in essence, your new livelihood - can be challenging if you are newly self-employed.
In this guide, we outline the must-have tools and equipment all self-employed gardeners should have access to. From small hand tools and basic safety equipment essential for carrying out even the smallest of gardening tasks to professional power tools needed for large-scale landscaping work, we’ll run through all of the essentials. This guide will also explain why it’s so important to protect your tools with specialist self-employed gardener insurance. Here, we will outline how these policies work to financially protect you and your business should vital equipment be lost, stolen or damaged.
The fact is, without the right tools and equipment, it is impossible to work as a professional gardener. This means, before going it alone and starting your own business in this trade, purchasing the basic tools you need and knowing how to keep this equipment safe is essential. Below we outline a selection of vital tools and equipment all self-employed gardeners should own before launching their own business.
Easily overlooked when building up your gardening equipment arsenal, safety equipment will represent some of the most important purchases you make.
Gloves should be your first purchase. A good pair of gardening gloves will protect your hands from everything from small cuts and scrapes to splinters and larger flesh wounds. When searching for the ideal pair, look for gloves that are water-resistant and breathable. It’s also important to ensure they have good grip, without being too bulky. Opting for a pair with long cuffs is also sensible. This means your wrists and forearms are also more protected.
Aside from gloves, it’s important to consider eye protection and ear guards. These items are particularly important if you know you are going to be using power tools, such as chainsaws, mechanical mowers and strimmers regularly.
Forks, spades and rakes represent the holy trinity of must-have hand tools for gardeners. Rakes are required most during the autumn and winter months as they are ideal for clearing dead leaves and debris from garden beds. They can also be used to smooth out soil before planting. Similarly, pitching forks are required for turning compost and soil. They are particularly useful when compacted or dry soil needs to be broken up or loosened prior to planting. They can also be used to move large piles of garden debris quickly. Finally, every gardener worth their salt needs a good quality spade. These most basic of gardening tools are required to dig holes and trenches for both planting and irrigation purposes.
When buying rakes, pitching forks and spades, it is important to purchase high-quality products. These are tools you will likely be using on a daily basis. With this in mind, try to select items made from durable materials that have been designed ergonomically.
Also known as secateurs, pruning shears help gardeners to control plant growth and ensure an outdoor area looks neat and tidy. Resembling scissors, this basic tool is used to cut through branches and stems with precision and ease. They make maintaining and shaping trees, bushes and other plants simple. Unlike other tools that can cause damage to plants, pruning shears are designed to make clean and accurate cuts. This reduces the risk of plant diseases spreading and developing, and promotes faster healing.
With a number of different types of shears available, it can help to own a range. Anvil-style pruning shears can be hard to use, but are better when dealing with thick tree branches. On the other hand, ratcheting pruners are easy to use and are most effective when used on hedges and smaller plants. Finally, owning a telescopic tree pruner can save you a lot of time and effort when it comes to dealing with hard-to-reach branches.
As a gardener, one of the most basic services you can offer is lawn care. However, in order to do this, owning an effective lawnmower and strimmer is paramount. Whether you opt for a traditional push mower, a self-propelled petrol mower, or a ride-on mower is down to personal preference. That being said, owning a small gardening business requires you to remain mobile. With this in mind, a lightweight portable lawn mower - be that petrol powered or electric - is probably your best option.
The same applied to strimmers. An essential tool for lawn care, power strimmers are used to tidy up the edges of your lawn. This could be against walls or fences, or along the border of flowerbeds. They can also be used to cut grass or tall weeds on areas of land that cannot be mowed by a traditional mower. For example, areas of bumpy or uneven ground, such as rockeries.
Another overlooked, unsung hero, the common garden trowel represents one of the most versatile items in a gardener’s toolbox. Not only used for planting new shrubs, trowels are also needed for everything from removing weeds and digging up small plants to digging holes for perennials and potting plants. When choosing a set of garden trowels, look for tools with solid handles, steel blades and ergonomic hand grips.
During the spring and summer months, watering plants becomes a key part of a gardener’s job. For this reason, owning a quality hose pipe with an adjustable nozzle is a must. There are two properties you need to consider when purchasing a hose. Firstly, you should opt for a hose that has an adjustable length. After all, you need a hose that allows you to water a large area without experiencing reduced water pressure. Either an expandable coil pipe or a hose/reel combination that allows for neat and tidy storage are your best bet here.
The second characteristic you need to consider is the nozzle. Different types of plants require different levels of watering. Therefore, getting a nozzle that can offer a range of different spray options allows you to be as delicate as you need to be.
Finally, all gardeners need a good quality wheelbarrow. Used to move heavy materials such as soil, compost and grass clippings around the garden, these simple items of equipment can save you a lot of time and effort. Once again, when selecting a new wheelbarrow, it is important to invest in good quality. After all, well designed wheelbarrows that are made from high quality materials are less likely to let you down on the job and will better stand the test of time.
From £8 a month*, Markel Direct’s specialist gardeners’ insurance can provide you with a range of covers. This includes tailored tools and equipment insurance that financially protects you and your business in the event that any of your essential tools are lost, damaged or stolen.
On top of this, comprehensive gardeners’ insurance can also provide public liability insurance. This policy is designed to protect your business in the event of third party injury or property damage. For example, you damage a client’s antique garden ornament while mowing their lawn, or a client trips on one of your power cables while you are working and injures themselves. In both of these cases, public liability insurance can cover any legal costs and compensation payments that result from damages claims brought against your business.
Employers' liability insurance can also usually be built into gardening insurance packages. These policies are a legal requirement for all gardening businesses that hire staff, including apprentices. In the event an employee becomes ill or is injured as a result of their job, these policies financially protect your business.
At Markel Direct, our gardeners’ insurance policies are designed to be tailored to best suit your needs. Simply select which types of cover you’d like to be included in your policy and receive a quote today.
* Price based on a gardener requiring £1 million public liability insurance cover.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Pruning Tools Manufacturer.