Quality Garden Tools Blog

Size Does Matter

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:01:00 +0100

When it comes to gardening I am not an expert. I can dig, plant and even weed, but I have a major gardening weakness – size.

Strolling around my local garden centre I often stumble across great looking plants that suit my garden in terms of soil ph, colour, texture, but my 20/20 vision fails me when it comes to the plant dimensions! Someone once told me ‘looking is not the same as seeing’ and this is certainly the case when I study plant labels. I have had to transplant so many plants in my garden that I have been sought by friends, family and even neighbours to advise on the re-siting of one or other overgrown shrub!

My advice with transplanting mature plants would be to try and do it in late March or early April when the soil is warming but still wet. I was once forced to replant a Bay Standard (Laurus Nobilis) in early February in the snow and although the noble tree survived, I nearly did not.

When lifting the rootball give a wide margin around the trunk and always use a fork, never a spade. Using a spade tends to cut all the thin, hair-like roots which are so important to any plant getting food and water. Snapping the thick wooded roots is surprisingly less important, they are mainly used to anchor the plant (something that can be effectively achieved by properly firming in or the use of a stout stake).

Always carry your shrub or tree on your fork or if too big in a barrow with as much soil as possible – again to protect those all important fibrous roots. Select a strong solid forged fork like the Bulldog ‘Premier’ digging fork which will not bend, twist or buckle under the weight of the soil.

Having dug the hole where the plant is to be re-sited approximately 100% wider than the rootball, but at the same height; add in some plant food or compost. Place the plant very carefully into the hole and back fill ensuring that the soil height around the trunk of the plant remains the same as before lifting. Then water the plant in well – some plants (particularly roses) will also appreciate a top feed, but this is not essential.

I would ask you not to expect too much from your newly transplanted shrub – when you move to a new house it takes time for you to settle into a new environment, it’s the same for your relocated plants! Finally, as with prescriptions from the chemist always read the label – if the label says that your new Viburnum will grow to 3m by 2m then don’t put it in a window box!

The Bulldog 'Premier' digging fork can be found at: www.qualitygardentools.com/hand-tools/forks/id-BUL-5704042820/view

Four Seasons in One Day

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:54:14 +0100

Working in the garden at this time of year is a full time job – I am often told off by other members of the Quality Garden Tools team for disappearing during the day to do one of many ‘little jobs’ that are needed in April. This busy time in my own garden coincides with the busy period in everyone else’s so Quality Garden Tools is especially hectic and I have to rely on weekend gardening more than ever.

I had planned to mulch and compost some hedge cuttings yesterday (6th April), but woke to find 3 inches of snow covering the garden! I waited patiently for things to change and by lunchtime they had – sadly only to driving rain and wind. After a fortifying Sunday lunch and some time reading the weekend papers I found that by 3pm all the snow had melted and the sun was out (and warm). With another busy week ahead I decided to be brave and managed to shred and compost most of the hedge cuttings after all.

It was only to be expected that we would have a frost last night, but as I speak the sun is out again! Anyone able to predict the weather at the moment would have had no problem finding the winner in The Grand National – enjoy your winnings!

A Cut above the Rest

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 13:40:00 +0100

No matter how many sheds I see (people always seem very keen to show me their garden tools!) one tool always seems to be in attendance. The ubiquitous bright orange bowsaw seems to be a staple in every garden shed up and down the country. This saw is the classic Bahco (formerly called Sandvik) bowsaw which benefits from being strong and lightweight with replaceable blades and is available in a number of different sizes.

However, we now have a new pretender to the old workhorse’s throne – Silky Saws.
For many years Silky Saws have been prized by tree surgeons even above their Husqvarna chainsaws! The saws cut on the pull stroke which makes cuts faster and more efficient with a greater discharge of the chips. When you cut on the pull stroke you use much less energy and get a lot more control over the saw blade. The blades themselves are made from SK-4 high carbon steel, especially high frequency heat treated to harden and then hard chrome plated to give a wipe clean surface. All Silky Saws have razor sharp teeth hardened for long life allowing for quick clean cuts designed to reduce the risk of infection.

The Silky range have a number of different designs from a 130mm bladed Pocketboy folding saw through to the Hayauchi pole saw which reaches an amazing 6.3metres!
Although I cannot see a time when the Bahco orange bowsaw disappears completely, I feel I have seen the future and it is called Silky.

Our range of fantastic Silky saws can be found at: www.qualitygardentools.com/hand-tools/saws/silky-saws/viewcategory

Mulch Ado about Nothing

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:25:00 +0000

At middle class dinner parties up and down the country you are almost as likely to hear the words ‘do you compost?’ as ‘my house has doubled in value over the last 10 years’ or ‘only very bright children like little Tarquin have ADHD’ over Nigella’s crudités.

This is because gardening newspapers, magazines and television shows constantly tell us we must compost. They are, of course, right – nothing is better than making your own ‘brown gold’ and spreading it over your flower beds and borders to help them grow.

Composting is not new, my grandfather composted before the current Gardeners World presenters were born; he like many others had learned not to waste anything during the 1930s and 40s. He piled his garden waste high, occasionally turning with a fork which would release steam from the hot core alternately heating and cooling the mix until all that was left was a beautiful fine compost, bursting with goodness.

Over the years I have tried to emulate my grandfather, but have always been bothered by the amount of woody waste I was burning. No matter how small I chop it, branches take years to break down, ruining the texture of my compost. However, a year ago we became a supplier of Bosch garden products, including their AXT2200HP Quiet Shredder; a machine that has become my new ‘branch mulching buddy’. It shreds anything from 38mm down and mulches branches so that I can add to my compost or leaf mould bin with no adverse affects – no problem!

The Bosch AXT2200HP Quiet Shredder can be found at: www.qualitygardentools.com/power-tools/shredders/id-AXT2200HP/view

Green and Pleasant Land

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:24:46 +0000

Many of the trials and tribulations I have experienced running Quality Garden Tools have been mirrored by disasters and triumphs in my own garden.

The garden measures about half an acre in one long, slightly sloping strip. The soil is acid and not overly sandy, but has lots and lots of stones in it. We bought the house about 5 years ago with no garden to speak of just grass and a few good trees. Since moving in I have cut in new borders and planted dozens of trees and shrubs in an attempt to give the garden some structure.

The planting style of the new borders varies between traditional herbaceous borders and some shady forest planting. This allows me to invest in a wide variety of different plants and shrubs with borders ranging from deep shade to full sun. I constantly make mistakes, with some plants described as shade lovers giving up the ghost in my dry, deep shade and others thriving in dappled shade that are advertised as lovers of full sun!

I will discuss my favourite plants in the future, but take this opportunity to sing the praises of the Hosta. I have planted many different hostas around the garden with varieties suited to full sun, semi-shade and shade. Their foliage is a joy and is great for under-planting anything from ferns to foxgloves. Their flower spikes come suddenly and offer a wonderful contrast to the flat leaves.

As Quality Garden Tools has grown, so my garden has grown – both are unruly and sometimes difficult to manage, but give me huge amounts of pleasure.

A Rake's Progress

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:38:00 +0000

Of all the products we sell at Quality Garden Tools, the rake is the one we get most orders for and enquiries about. I think that this is probably because the rake is used for so many different tasks and is used everywhere from the largest estates to the smallest garden.

Rakes fall into three main categories:

Garden rakes with short stiff tines mainly designed for tilling the soil, breaking up lumps of earth and sifting out stones.
Spring tine rakes with longer, slightly flexible wire tines. Although often confused with a leaf rake, this rake should be used for scarifying lawns by removing moss and thatch from the lawn.
Leaf rakes are often similar in design to the spring tine rakes, but with thicker, flat tines (often plastic) to ensure leaves are not ‘skewered’. These rakes also tend to be lighter than other rakes to aid repetitive use.

As I often explain to callers there is no one rake that will perform all tasks to a satisfactory level. The spring tine rakes are often used as an ‘all round’ rake, but the tines tend to bend out of shape if used on bare soil and spear too many leaves if used as a leaf rake.

There are two very interesting variants on the three main categories of rake. The first is the rubber tined rakes of which by far the best are the Bulldog Wizard and Merlin. The Bulldog rakes both have short, flexible rubber tines allowing the user to sweep up leaves on driveways, patios, lawns, decking or borders without damaging the surface beneath the leaves in any way. The Bulldog Wizard has a 20" head and the Merlin a 10" head which is particularly good for getting between shrubs and plants in borders. The second variants are once again Bulldog products and are found in their Switch & Reach range. The 3 miniature versions of the bigger rakes are perfect for work in borders, rockeries and other confined spaces and were recently recommended by Helen Yemm in her ‘Thorny Problems’ column in The Daily Telegraph.

Our rakes can be found at: www.qualitygardentools.com/hand-tools/rakes/viewcategory

A New Beginning...

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 13:22:00 +0000

During 2005, I became increasingly frustrated with the quality of tools in my local garden centres. Many of these centres had opted for Chinese made tools that although cheaper and more profitable for the garden centre left a lot to be desired in terms of quality. This set of circumstances led me to the decision that I could try to do better - and Quality Garden Tools was born. The next stage was to research which tools were best for keen gardeners like me. I visited Kew , Wisley and had lots of chats with professional gardeners to find out which brands they relied on. The more gardeners I met, the more I heard the same names mentioned: Bulldog, Felco, Silky, Tina, Bahco (formerly Sandvik) and power tool brands like Hayter, Husqvarna and Echo to name but a few. Slowly but surely I was able to develop relationships with many different suppliers and increase the range available on both the website and in our catalogue. The business continues to grow and we now supply many of the professionals we originally turned to for advice!

We still try to offer the very best quality available if possible, but stock other ranges which offer good value for those with tighter budgets. We also know where all our tools are made and try to support manufacturers who reduce or minimize the amount of energy used in the manufacturing process. As the Quality Garden Tools journey continues we are always trying to improve our service and the range and quality of the products we stock.

Introduction

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:03:00 +0000

To anyone reading this please excuse my nervousness – this is my first ever attempt at ‘blog’ writing (if that is the correct phrase). Writing a blog is just one of many suggestions given to me by the Quality Garden Tools ‘tech team’ in order to make our website more interesting. If you are already falling asleep just reading this introduction, then I apologise, we have obviously failed miserably! Over the coming weeks I hope to write about the daily highs and lows we encounter whilst running Quality Garden Tools as well as the many trials and tribulations (mostly trials) I personally find in trying to tame my own garden.