Guide to tools for autumn jobs in the garden

As Autumn approaches, it’s a busy time in the garden. Whether you are just tidying up after summer or if you want to change, overhaul or add to your garden, make sure you have the right tools for the job.

At Armitage’s we source leading brands to ensure gardeners have an excellent choice of quality tools from the traditional, high quality Joseph Bentley range to the ergonomically designed Wolf collection of interchangeable heads and Yeoman’s affordable, lightweight garden tools. Also look out for new products such as the Bosch Ciso cordless pruner, launched in 2009, for effortless pruning.

Follow our guide for what to look for in garden tools for autumn jobs. Its just an overview of the ranges and our experts in store are able to help you make the right choices for you and advise on more specialist equipment for jobs in the garden.

General Gardening

With forks, spades and trowels, you’ll need to decide between carbon and stainless steel. Stainless steel is better if you are dealing with wet, clay soil as it cuts cleanly through the earth without clogging.

Fork

Choose from a border fork for beds, borders and confined areas or a digging fork which is larger and more suitable for heavy duty jobs. All the ranges we carry offer a D shaped handled for a more comfortable grip.

Spade

There are two sizes of spade available, the digging spade with a broad blade and the border spade which is smaller and lighter. When buying a spade, make sure you are happy with the height as its important you can keep your back straight when digging. It may be beneficial to look for a tread edge to make the digging easier.

Trowel

There are two types of trowel, a general gardening trowel for general jobs including planting bedding and tidying. For planting seeds and bulbs, opt for the thinner potting trowel. The narrow blade makes digging easier and they often have a depth gauge on the blade to help guide you when planting.

Brush

When choosing a brush, opt for one that suits your gardening needs. As well as soft and hard brushes, you can choose from different sizes of brush. Check in store for the simple guide to selecting a brush to suit your needs.

Pruning

Whether you need tree loppers, pruners or secateurs, you’ll need to choose between anvil and by-pass. The anvil technique is recommended for pruning woody growth or dead branches and will remove the whole branch cleanly and precisely. The by-pass technique is suitable for young, green wood and for delicate pruning, giving a precise, clean cut.

Tree Loppers/Pruners

If you are needing accurate cuts on delicate stems, then choose a by-pass scissor action pruner. Alternatively for heavier duty work on tougher stems, choose an anvil action pruner. Yoeman pruners and loppers offer telescopic handles for extra height and length and Wolf offer an adjustable tree lopper which allows you to adjust through 180 degrees to the desired angle.

Secateurs

Similar to loppers are pruners, but on a smaller scale, secateurs are ideal for thinner branches and stems. Many secateurs offer a comfort grip including Felco’s with a revolving handle which requires 30% less effort. Always look for a good spring action.

Pruning saws

If you want to cut tree tops without climbing a ladder look for pruning saws with extendable handles. The Yeoman telescopic tree pruner and saw extends to 2.7m. Alternatively you could invest in the Wolf telescopic handles with a reach of 4metres then buy the pruning saw head from a range of different attachments.

Lawncare

Autumn is a good time to tidy the garden and address your lawn. We offer a complete autumn lawncare guide and the following tools will make the job considerable easier.

Aerator

Aerating is an essential process for creating air channels in the lawn so air can pass into the soil and circulate around the grass roots. We recommend using a hollow tiner, which works by removing small cylinder shaped cores of earth and as a result is considerably more effective than a garden fork, which compacts the soil as opposed to removing it.

Rake

A spring tine rake is ideal after applying an autumn feed and moss killer to rake out all the dead moss. You’ll also need a leaf rake with rounded ends and made of plastic which will not damage the lawn whilst raking up leaves and debris.

Bulb Planters

To help the bulb planting process, a bulb planter is the perfect tool, especially for planting between established plants. They can work well on both the beds and the lawn. A short handled bulb planter will be better for beds and borders and a long handled planter will give you more leverage in compacted soil or lawns.