Despite their dangerous-sounding name, snapdragons are classic cool season annuals. They also come in many attractive colors.

Photograph by Shari Kaplan

Using wrong garden tools is akin to a horror movie

By Tony Tomeo

A couple of weeks ago I was reminded that I should continue my discussion on garden tools as soon as I had finished discussing sudden death syndrome of oaks. Among the various "horror" movies commonly broadcast prior to Halloween was Frankenstein's Monster. I thought it to be a rather dorky movie, until the scene in which Dr. Frankenstein and his assistant are going to dig up a grave. I was horrified to see what they intended to do it with square-end spades! If only I had written this column earlier, they might have known how to select the appropriate tools necessary for this task.

I should first describe the difference between shovels and spades. Spades are designed to be pushed into soil with the foot. Shovels lack the rolled rim on the top edge and are designed to be "shoved" into soil by hand. This can be confusing because most shovels are very often used as spades. Handles of both spades and shovels may be long and straight or short, ending in a D-shaped grip, depending on intended use. Both may also be round-point or square-point.

The round-point shovel and the garden shovel are very similar. The round-point has a straighter shank and is used for digging holes with vertical sides. (It appears flatter in profile.) The shank of the garden shovel curves downward to a deeper curved blade. It is also used for digging holes in loose soil or for scooping loose material, such as gravel or mulch.

The square-point shovel is designed mainly for scooping loose material from a harder surface, such as compost from a bin. The scoop shovel resembles a very large square-point shovel and is used for scooping large quantities of light material, such as fallen leaves. With the exception of scoop shovels, which normally have "D" grips, most shovels have long straight handles for lighter work. However, many have "D" grips that are useful for more aggressive work.

Round-point spades are probably the most common digging tool, with a rolled rim that can be pressed into soil with the foot. The square-end spade is a less common tool, used for cutting clean edges on grass or ground cover areas. Similar to shovels, both types of spades may have long handles, or "D" grips.

Spading forks are normally used for breaking up and loosening soil. Pitchforks are designed for picking up and "pitching" hay and are also useful for moving loose materials that stick together, such as large weeds or prunings. Both types of forks are available with both types of handles, although pitchforks usually have long handles.

Hoes are about as variable as shovels and spades, but all have long, straight handles. The common garden hoe is about six inches wide, but may be much narrower or wider. They are useful for cutting weeds off at ground level and for soil cultivation. Hoes are also used to cut off weeds that grow up through expansion joints or cracks in concrete pavement. Square-point shovels are also useful for this application.

The eye hoe has a heftier blade and stronger handle. It is used for cutting through tougher weeds or brambles. It is also useful for invasive ground cover or dense surface roots, such as those produced by willow trees. The weeding hoe is about as light as a conventional hoe, but usually narrower. Opposite the blade is a claw for pulling weeds. It can be used for light cultivating and plucking out loosened weeds.

Furrows for planting seed may be cut with a warren hoe. This device lacks the flat cutting edge, but has two curved edges that converge at a sharp point. Consequently, the blade is arrow-shaped. It is not normally used for weeding, but for cultivating soil.

The push-pull weeder is a tool I could never quite figure out. It can be scraped over the soil surface to cut young weed seedlings off at the root. It can do the same when pushed away. This is because it has two blades: one coming and one going. The blades are held loosely so they can move according to the direction in which they are going.

Flower of the Week: Snapdragon

Snapdragons, Antirrhinum majus, are one of the classic cool season annual flowers. Young plants that were planted earlier in the season will remain showy until warm weather in spring. The most commonly available varieties are short and suitable for garden use at about 6 to 18 inches tall. Taller varieties can be somewhat lanky, but are excellent cut flowers. Rust can be a serious problem, so foliage should be kept dry. Full sun and good drainage is preferred.

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Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at 408.358.2574.

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