How does your garden grow? Make time to check out tools, both fun and practical, before putting in plants this spring

April showers brought May flowers. Now what?

Again, my friends, it’s time to shop. If you’re a green thumb, you’re in luck, because there are plenty of goodies for gardeners out there.

It’s best to start with the basics. Remember those tools you broke last August? They didn’t fix themselves over winter. When it comes to spades and trowels, there are two camps: those who invest, and those who don’t. I’ve done both, and I’ve found that expensive tools break just as quickly as the cheapies. Right now, Renys has dandelion weeders for 99 cents. Go for it.

While you’re there, you should pick up another necessity: garden clogs. ShopGuy bought me a pair of Ranger Ladybug clogs last year, and I think they’re fabulous – waterproof, resilient and adorable. Renys carries a variety of styles, from the daisy-and-ladybug-bedecked pair pictured here, to more tame solid colors, all for $14.99. Looking for something you can hose down? Try Crocs – the clogs have holes in them so the dirt will wash right through, and they’re available in every color under the sun for about $30 a pair. You can pick them up at Lamey-Wellehan and The Ski Rack in Bangor and Curtis Family Shoe in Ellsworth.

Enough about your feet, though. What about your hands? Between renovating in the winter and gardening in the summer, I gave up all hope of manicures a long time ago, but I still don’t like to scoop dirt out from under my nails. This time of year, I rely on the waterproof, machine-washable Mud Glove (about $8 online at www.mudglove.com), but if you want something luxurious, check out the Foxgloves (around $25, available at Hilts landscaping in Hancock). Marden’s also has a four-pack of cotton garden gloves for $10. Bargain.

You’ll also need a good watering can. I like the simple, galvanized metal cans that you can pick up at the hardware store, and the fancy copper cans at T.J. Maxx ‘n More, but if you have kids and want them to get the garden bug early, check out Target’s pint-size can ($7.99). Also at Target, and equally cute, is the Miss Spider sprinkler, with legs that wiggle and shoot out water ($12.99).

My new favorite gardening accessory is a “bucket buddy,” a tool belt and caddy that you wrap around a plastic bucket – you can put weeds or veggies inside, and keep your tools and seeds organized outside. They cost $10 at Target.

Speaking of seeds, many have caught my eye – I’ve been stocking up on them since there was snow on the ground (I love Parks Seed and Johnny’s online – www.parkseed.com and www.johnnyseeds.com). Since I keep an organic garden, I was intrigued by the Vermont-based High-Mowing Seeds available at Parks Hardware in Orono for $1.89 a pack, every variety. I’m also wild about the Martha Stewart seeds at Kmart, especially the flowers, and they’re all on sale.

If you love sweet peas like I do, there’s no better resource for seeds than Sweet Pea Gardens in Surry. Owner Susan Keating offers a selection of heirloom and modern varieties, some rare, some common, all beautiful. She also sells trellises and twig teepees for them to climb.

When it comes to funky trellises, the coolest I’ve seen are the sculptural metal forms Rusty Girl, and they’re available at Hilts landscaping in Hancock. And if you need plant pots – who doesn’t? – Renys has crazy deals on huge urns (I’m talking $25 for a pot big enough to bathe in if you’re really flexible), while J&B Atlantic in Ellsworth has cute enameled deck pots for $4.25 apiece.

Looking for statuary? Though I’m not really in the market for a concrete Buddha, at least not until I get my Zen garden in, one of my colleagues swears by The Statue Factory on Route 15 in Kenduskeag. The tiny stone frogs at Everlasting Farm on Essex Street in Bangor are more my speed.

Of course, I bought one last year and now I can’t remember where I put it. Since it’s so small, I’ve lost it. Maybe I do need a Buddha. He’s too big to misplace. And besides, with that belly, he’s too bottom-heavy for the dogs to knock down – they’ve already trampled the May flowers.

ShopNotes

. Love home-shopping parties but don’t love to host them? Check out the One Stop Shopping Expo from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 15, at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer. More than 15 home-based businesses, such as The Body Shop at Home, will participate. Admission is free and there will be refreshments and door prizes.

. Congratulations to Bernice Coffin of Old Town, who won the $250 ShopGirl shopping spree! Coffin, 87, spent a day trolling for bargains with me. We had great fun, and great luck, at The Pretty Woman in Orono, where she found two pairs of jeans, two spring jackets and a pair of T-shirts. At J.C. Penney, she bought two T-shirts and a stylish blazer, and we finished the day at B. Dalton Booksellers in the Bangor Mall, where Coffin picked up a new mystery novel. Thanks to Bernice for a lovely day and thanks to the thousands of people who entered – as always, happy shopping!