Visions of groovy tools hung in the shed

Ahh, say the word. Hear its pleasant little vowels stream from your lips. The “ooo” sound in “tools” is so apt – what tool could possibly be objectionable to hold in one’s hands? From tiller to trowel, wheelbarrow to weeder, large or small, every tool is worthy of praise.

In particular, new tools are easy to adore. They gleam. They shine. They are sharp and work to perfection. An old tool – one that has given years of service without the slightest hint of resignation – is certainly admirable. But a new tool is superb in its faultlessness, righteous in its fineness.

During this holiday season, may the garden tools burst forth through colorful wrapping paper in your home. May the ooos and ahhs abound!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I dream of a garden shed whose walls are plastered with garden tools. Saws and shearers hung neatly from hooks. Hoses wound and draped carefully from pegs. Spades and forks cleaned and suspended from painstakingly positioned spikes.

The tools are really the glory of the garden shed, are they not? Without the tools, there is no purpose to the shed. Tools make the shed a sort of gardener’s shrine – they are what we use to work the earth, tend the crops, bring forth the fruits of nature itself.

With that said, I must confess – I am not the best organizer of tools. I try to take decent care of my tools by keeping them clean and in a central location; yet when it comes to organization, dreams and reality take a sharp deviation as one steps through the doorway to my shed.

But that doesn’t stop me from wanting more tools. Call it greed, call it gratuitous and unabashed lust for that which may be used only on the most rare occasion, but when I see a groovy tool, I want it. I don’t buy it, mind you, but I want it. I don’t buy it because if I make a fuss over it I might just receive it as a holiday gift. Receiving a not-so-needed tool as a gift somehow alleviates the excessiveness of having the device.

It may be last-minute, but for future reference, you could list one of everything from the A.M. Leonard catalog, if you’re in the mood, oh, I mean, have a need for tools.

The company offers everything from duct tape and cutting pliers to pruning tools and measuring instruments. From books and software to hand lenses and hammers, A.M. Leonard’s motto is “Tools that work!” Their Web site at amleo.com is heavenly to visit, but I prefer having their paper catalog, which is informative and chock-full of practical and hard-to-find tools at – mostly – reasonable prices.

Another source for gardening tools is Vermont’s Gardener’s Supply. A bit more upscale and less utilitarian than A.M. Leonard, this mail-order company has a retail store in Burlington, Vt., and a Web site at gardeners.com. Elegant watering cans, specialty planters, compost crocks for the kitchen counter, interesting thermometers and much more can be found in their catalog and on their Web site. From the sensible to the eccentric, this supplier has what you want, oh, right – need.

Better still, visit your local garden center to see what tools they have to offer. Supporting these local businesses helps ensure a healthy green industry in your area. Selling tools and gardening gifts throughout the fall and winter is an important way for these retailers to keep their business alive during the off-season.

I could go on and on about tools, but right now I must go search for my husband, John. I’ll casually slip the weekend paper beside his coffee cup and hope he gets the hint. “Did you ask me what I wanted for Christmas, honey? Ooo, you’ll have to give me some time to dream up a list.”

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, RR1, Box 2120, Montville 04941, or e-mail them to dianagc@ctel.net. Selected questions will be answered in future columns. Include name, address and telephone number.