12 Must-Have Tools for Your Garden - Page 2

"They're just durable, cheaper to use," she commented, noting that wands can be had for one-third the price, but they soon break or deteriorate. As for the Dramm's functionality, she explains, "Simply squeeze the lever to water, and release the lever to stop watering while moving from one plant to the next."

"I don't feel like you need that many tools," Kern says from her experience. Of course, in addition to durability, she wants her pruning equipment to be, well, cutting edge. Stihl is a trusted name with that reputation, and they apparently are working to stay on that edge for emerging product markets.

"We just now entered the battery [operated] 'space' in the last year," said Lindsy Shrewsberry, U.S. spokeswoman for the German firm. Tanja is recommending Stihl's battery-powered shears, which run for nearly two hours on a charge and cost $119.

Shrewsberry said they introduced the shears last October at the Green Industry Expo in Louisville along with the iMow, a self-starting, robotic, battery-powered lawnmower, "part of the expansion of Stihl into the battery space."

Clearing the space around your house, you may want to rely on a even noisier product Tanja admits to having "a love-hate relationship with," and for that she recommends the Max Brushless Blower from Dewalt, "lightweight and ergonomic" and priced at $329.

The other cutters profiled in Kern's CA-Modern story include a Fiskars garden knife and a Corona razor-tooth saw, but she particularly raves about the Felco 2 pruner for $60.

"Felco pruners are the best," she enthused, adding, "They stay sharp for a long time and the ergonomics of the tool are good."

Accessories like these have helped Kern overcome initial doubts about her own gardening aptitude.

"I'll have a green thumb someday," she says optimistically. "I've been learning about the trees and plants in my yard…I feel like I've come a long way."

So if you want to walk down a similar garden path as Tanja, click here to read a PDF of 'Summer Spruce,' a slice of home improvement from the new summer '18 issue of CA-Modern.