I have gardened all my life (over six decades, but who's counting?) and I have discovered that 'less is more' - of all the many tools I've bought (and been given) over the years, there are a few basics I use all the time:
Obviously, good hoes (wide blade and 'devil's point), shovels (pointed blade, flat blade and 'sharpshooter' - a narrow, deep blade for digging in close spaces) and rakes (leaf and tine) - I have two of each style shovel and rake, for those occasions when I have help in the garden and two people need the same tool at the same time.
Hand tools include trowels, clippers and pruners (again, two of each) and one very special tool my daughter gave me for Christmas last year - a Japanese garden knife. This heavy duty knife has a curved blade, so it can be used as a trowel or to dig out an especially tough weed, and the edge of the blade is very sharp and serrated, so I can also use it to trim off lirope, cut back ivy and even saw a small branch, if needed.
Other than that, you can keep all the bulb planters, hand rakes and gimmicks you see in catalogs and hardware stores. Next time I clean out my garage, they all are going in the trash.
Here is the Japanese knife.
