For Those Who Are Just Begining A Rose Garden, These Are The Tools That You Will Need

What kind of tools are needed for a rose garden? Gloves, knee pads, shovels, pruning shears, loppers and a wheelbarrow.

1. Rose Gardening Gloves-select industrial strength gloves because roses have prickly thorns.

2.Rose Gardening Knee Pads-knee pads are required to keep the pressure off your knees. You can select between waterproof pads with handles or perhaps pads with velcro straps.

3. Rose Gardening Shovels-select one with padded handles which just might save you a few bruises. Also, see if you can buy one made out of fiberglass as that tends to be more lightweight, yet it is sufficiently strong to do the down and dirty work.

4. Rose Gardening Pruning Shears-you'll need this tool almost everyday and it comes in 2 varieties. A bypass pruner looks somewhat like scissors and is more preferable to an anvil pruner because it doesn't seem to crush the tender stems of a rose. The blades of an anvil pruner meet on top and are stronger than a bypass pruner.

5. Rose Gardening Loppers-well, you won't need these to start off ( in about 2 years) if you are just starting your rose garden. These are much more efficient than both the pruning shears and are required when the stems of the roses become much stronger and thicker. Don't waste your money buying these right away, just wait for a few years when your roses have become more mature.

6. Wheelbarrow For The Rose Garden-buy a sturdy one. As your rose gardening hobby grows, you'll need a durable wheelbarrow to lug stuff in and out of the garden.

Now for a few tips about your tools.
* Do not be fooled into the cheep stuff. Instead, buy first-class quality and pay a decent price. Good quality gardening tools will last you a lifetime. Go somewhere that the sales staff really know if it is good quality tool or a piece of tin.
* To winterize your tools clean them off and cover them with a light coat of WD-40. They will be ready to use next spring and rust free.
* If you forgot last fall to winterize the tools and they now have rust on them. It is OK, to get them clean again-rub them with a soap-filled steel wool pad dipped in kerosene or turpentine. Do this outside and wear gloves. Finish it off by rubbing deeply with a wadded-up aluminum foil to make them shine.
* During the season of gardening have a clean pail of sand that you put your hand held tools in to help them stay rust free. (Keep the pail of sand away from cats, it will defeat the purpose if you do not do this.)
* When pruning, sterilize your tools before moving from one plant to another. This is needed more if one of them is showing signs of disease. Use one part rubbing alcohol or chlorine bleach to 10 parts water. Soak the tools for several minutes before drying them and moving on

For all kinds of garden secrets look up Jerry Baker America's Master Gardener at:
http://www.jerrybaker.com/

copyright Dan and Deanna Finlinson "Marketing Unscrambled"