Gloria B. Collins

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Spring Gardening: 3 Essential Gardening Tools To Get The Job Done

May 6, 2017 By Gloria B. Collins

photo of 3 Essential Gardening Tools

Today, for those of you who may be newer to gardening, I’d like to share with you the three essential gardening tools I use in my suburban cottage cutting garden. And I’d like to encourage you to get gardening.  If you’re a beginner thinking of growing something this season, go for it! And, realize that gardening consists of hard work, optimism, and a desire to dream.

Starting off with the right tools helps. So this is why I’d like to share 3 essential tools to get you started.

3 Essential Gardening Tools

A garden knife

A tool I’d feel lost without is my Hori Hori Knife. For those of you who adore multitasking. The Hori Hori does it all, and it even chops and slices and I love it. Though not 9.99 or get one free, it does provide you with a well-crafted tool to keep for many years, facilitating many jobs.

I use my Hori Hori knife for the following chores:

  • Dividing plants
  • Weeding
  • Utility Knife
  • Trowel
  • Measuring device

Compost Sifters

When I first started this garden, the soil looked and felt anemic. Slowly I brought it back to life by adding compost and removing stones.

My husband was kind and made me a three-bin compost system.

Large sifter

He also made a large sifter out of 4x4s with a chicken wire mesh, which I use for sifting large clumps from the compost pile.

Shovelfuls of compost are sieved from the bins into the sieve which sits on the wheel barrel, and finally, the rough compost becomes a loose powder. This compost gets then added to every new plant.

Smaller Sifter

Any new hole for plants gets dug out and sifted with my portable round sifter. This process removes stones to ensure a finer composition of soil to allow the root system for each plant to spread out evenly. To this then I’ll add the compost mix from the bins, mix both together and now I’m ready to plant.

Pruners

I am always pruning all my plants. Removing any dead branches or leaves.

Here are three I use all the time:

Cut and Hold Pruners

These hold the stem the minute you cut into the stem of the plant, they are amazing.

Floral Sheers

Allow me to get into the little crevices of any flower to trim further for arranging.

Multi-purpose Pruners

Trim larger woody plants. Picture not shown.

Please note I recommend that you wipe down your pruners after every use with Peachtree oil to keep them free of bacteria. I purchased my pruners from Wild Flower Seed & Tool Co.

photo of Gloria B. Collins cottage style garden with raised beds

So, there you have it. 3 essential gardening tools to help you get the job done. Trust me. Gardening takes long hours and much effort, but if you love it as much as I do, your garden will always bring you JOY!

If you’d like to see more of my garden, receive tips on how I grow my flowers and use them in arrangements, I invite you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or sign up for my monthly email newsletter.

If you have any questions, I invite you to contact me directly. I’d love to hear how I may continue to help you grow your own slow flowers. For the gardener reading this journal entry, I’d love to hear from you what your favorite gardening tools are!

 

Filed Under: Flowers, Gardening Tagged With: cutting flowers, eco events, eco flowers, eco weddings, farmhouse, farmhouse garden, garden flowers for events, garden tools, gardener, Gardening, getting started gardening, getting started in the garden, grow your own cutting flowers, grow your own wedding flowers, hudson valley florist, hudson valley gardening, hudson valley wedding, seasonal flowers, seasonal wedding flowers, slow flowers, top tips for spring gardens, wedding flowers, wedding gardener

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gloriabcollins

Here in Ireland, I've been walking daily, even in Here in Ireland, I've been walking daily, even in the rain. Investing in waterproof gear, warm boots, and clothing is essential to keep exercising. 

Since we are in a tiny little village, there are no gyms, but fortunately, there are plenty of steep hills and stairs, which is perfect for maintaining our physique and a good routine. Walking and breathing in the fresh sea air relaxes and invigorates positive mental health. 

As we get older, we need to be consistent with exercise, so I encourage you to put it on your daily to-do list and, without fail, and get some walking done. #retiermentlife #retimentplan #healthylifestyle #loveyyourbodynow #kinsaleireland Follow me on @anillustrativelife Newsletter out biweekly now.
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Can't avoid it, it's here, and now what?

As we enter this new season of life, our aim should be to catch as much pleasure as possible wherever possible. 

Now it's your turn; what truly brings you joy? 
Let's "Dream Map" together. 

There is so much more to Retirement. It's not about not showing up for work and doing nothing; it's about embracing a new chapter where you have the freedom and flexibility to pursue your dreams and live on your terms. 

Take the time now to imagine and dare to dream of the endless opportunities still open to you and start planning for the Retirement you deserve.  I love taking classes and have time now, too, so here is an example of an online course from @wildink_artclass @wildinksketch where I learned how to linocut. 
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