There is no doubt that for the do-it-yourself landscaper as well as those in the trade, that good tools are essential, attempting any kind of work in any trade, requires tools, but the importance of knowing what tools you need is also a must, and landscaping is no different.
By you understanding some of the most essential tools used for even your basic landscape needs then you are one step ahead of keeping your landscape garden in the best possible shape, doesn't matter how big or small your garden may be.
Your tool collection can be split into two categories, general and specialist, your general tools are tools like wheel barrows, shovels, forks, rakes, crow bars, picks and mattocks, hoses etc. These tools are used for a large variety of tasks, and attempting to landscape without owning these would be futile.
However the specialist tools are job specific, and depending on the size of the job and the regularity of that work you might want to consider hiring the equipment necessary rather than buying. But, if it's a large job like paving a drive and patio for example, then consider buying a brick saw and selling it after the jobs complete, this can still be more economical than hiring one for all the cutting, just way it all up and decide, you may have friends who are attempting the same task you could hire it out to them etc.
Let's go through the tools you need for your lawn care, apart from the obvious of a decent lawn mower, you might want to think about wiper snippers, or brush cutters and edger's, these are available both in motor powered and electric, but also for those times once or twice a year hiring an aerator and a fertilizer, although a hand fertilizer is good to have in your collection of tools anyway, but a wheeled one for those larger lawn areas you could hire.
Then there is the garden, now apart from the general tools listed above there are some hand tools you will need as well. Hand trowels, hand forks, watering can, secateurs, hand sheers and pruners etc. There are some more specialist tools like the pole extension pruners/sheers and chainsaws, hedge trimmers and cultivators, these can all be hired when needed.
Building projects is another side to landscaping and will require a whole range of tools, more specialist but necessary if you are going to attempt the structural side of landscaping. There are the carpentry tools needed for the timber projects like decks, pergolas, timber walls and platforms, bridges, Gazebos etc. the minimum tools you will need will be the likes of power or hand saws, screw drivers, hammers, spirit levels, set squares, string line, markers etc.
The paving jobs will require the likes of vibrating plate for the compaction, brick saw, screeding tools, trowels, rubber mallet, marking pens, as well as a variety of the general tools listed above. It's the same with the concreting, you will need a variety of concrete trowels and floats, screeds, edging trowels, form wood and pegs, most jobs can be done with these but there are some larger ones that may need the pole floats and trowels enabling you to reach into the slab without going in on boards.
So in closing I'd just like to mention here that when you are considering purchasing any tool, the amount you spend and the quality of that tool must be relative to the amount you need to use it, if it's a tool you need to use very regularly, then you will want to buy a good one, one that is easy to use and is built well, if it's a tool that is used once or twice a season then the quality is not so important.
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