What counts as a long-handled garden tool
Long-handled garden tools are the ones you use standing up, with two hands and your body weight behind them. They are usually grouped into digging tools, soil-working tools, raking and clearing tools, cutting tools and lawn tools. The names can overlap or vary by region, so this guide describes each tool by what it does as well as what it is called.
Short-handled tools such as the hand trowel, hand fork, dibber and secateurs are a separate category. They are often listed alongside long-handled tools in “essential tools” lists, and we mention them briefly below because people tend to ask about them together.
Digging and soil-breaking tools
- Spade: a flat or slightly curved blade, usually with a step on the top edge, for cutting into soil, edging beds and digging neat holes. See our guide to spade and shovel types for the variations.
- Shovel: a more scoop-shaped blade that is better at lifting and moving loose material such as soil, sand or compost. Shovels may have a round or square point.
- Garden fork (digging fork): a set of strong tines for loosening soil, turning compost and lifting root crops. Tines can pass through heavy soil with less sticking than a flat blade.
- Broadfork: a wide fork with two handles and several tines that you press into the soil with your foot and rock back to loosen it without turning it over.
- Mattock: a heavy tool with an axe-like blade on one side and a pick or adze on the other, used for breaking hard ground and cutting through roots.
- Post-hole digger and garden auger: tools for making deep, narrow holes. The digger is hand-operated with two blades; augers can be hand-turned or powered.
Weeding and cultivating tools
- Draw hoe (also called a swan-neck or common garden hoe): the blade is angled toward you and is pulled through soil to chop weeds, make seed drills or earth up plants.
- Dutch hoe (push hoe): a flat blade that is pushed just under the surface to slice off weed seedlings while you walk backward or sideways without treading on the soil.
- Long-handled cultivator: a set of curved tines used to break up the soil surface and pull out small weeds.
- Weed puller: a long tool with a claw or fork at the end designed to extract weeds, often dandelions, from a standing position.
Raking and clearing tools
- Soil rake (bow rake): a rigid head with short, stiff tines used to level soil, break up clods and prepare a seedbed.
- Leaf rake (lawn rake): a wide, flexible, fan-shaped head for gathering leaves and light debris.
- Spring-tine rake or scarifier rake: used to pull out moss and thatch from lawns.
- Pitchfork (hay fork): long thin tines for lifting loose, bulky material such as hay, straw or mulch.
Long-handled cutting tools
- Loppers: long-handled pruning shears for branches that are too thick for secateurs. Many are bypass-style, which cut with a scissor action, while anvil-style loppers close a blade against a flat surface.
- Pole pruner or pole saw: a cutting head on an extended pole for reaching high branches. Working under branches and near power lines carries real risk, so keep that in mind.
- Hedge shears: long-bladed shears for trimming hedges and shrubs. Long-handled grass shears and edging shears are close relatives.
- Sickle and scythe: older hand tools for cutting tall grass; the sickle is short-handled, the scythe is long-handled.
- Brush cutter and string trimmer: powered tools on a long shaft. Our guide to brush cutter blade types explains the cutting heads and blades available.
Lawn edging and lawn care tools
- Half-moon edger: a crescent-shaped blade with a step, pushed into turf to cut a clean border.
- Edging shears: long-handled shears with the blades set at an angle for trimming lawn edges.
- Lawn mower: a long-handled powered tool in the sense that you push it. If you are replacing a blade, read about lawn mower blade types first.
- Spreader: a push-along hopper for spreading seed or fertilizer evenly.
Handle length and material
The best handle is the one that suits your height and the job. A few general points:
- Length: a handle that is too short can make you stoop, while one that is too long can be awkward in tight spaces. Try the tool in the shop if you can, and think about whether you will mostly be standing upright or working in a bed.
- Wood: traditionally ash or hickory, comfortable and easy to repair, but it needs to be kept dry and may split over time.
- Fiberglass: typically durable and weather-resistant, and often lighter than wood in comparable lengths.
- Steel: strong but heavier, and can feel cold or harsh to hold without a grip.
- Grips and D-handles: a D-shaped or T-shaped grip on the end can help with control on digging tools.
Ten essential garden tools
There is no single official list, and the right set depends on what you grow. For many beginners, a reasonable starting point is:
- A spade or shovel
- A garden fork
- A hand trowel
- A garden rake
- A hoe
- Secateurs (hand pruners)
- Loppers
- A watering can or hose
- Garden gloves
- A wheelbarrow or garden cart
Of these, five or six are long-handled or at least used standing up, and the rest are hand tools or accessories.
Common naming confusion
- What is the term for a long-handled gardening tool? There is no single term. People often just say “long-handled tools”, or use the specific name: spade, hoe, rake, lopper and so on.
- What are big garden shears called? Usually hedge shears, or loppers if you mean the long-handled branch cutters. Pruning shears and secateurs are the hand-sized versions.
- What is the best hand trowel for gardening? A hand trowel is a short-handled tool, so it falls outside this guide. In general, look for a one-piece or firmly attached blade, a comfortable handle and a blade width that matches your planting jobs.
- Spade, shovel or fork? A spade cuts, a shovel scoops and a fork loosens.
Frequently asked questions
Are loppers and pruning shears the same thing?
They are related. Both cut plant stems with a bypass or anvil blade, but loppers have long handles for extra leverage and reach, while pruning shears are held in one hand.
Do I need both a hoe and a cultivator?
Not necessarily. A hoe handles weeds on the surface, while a cultivator breaks up the soil a little deeper. Many gardeners manage with one of them, depending on soil and bed size.
How should I store long-handled tools?
Clean off soil, dry them and hang them or stand them upright in a dry place. Wiping metal parts lightly with oil can help limit rust.