If you want your garden to look great, it solely depends on having the right tools, developing a good technique, and being organized enough to do the right things at the right time.

To start of, you need good hoes, spades, rakes, pruners, and a strong wheelbarrow. Then you need to learn how to control weeds with cultivation and mulch. A few basic pruning cuts will help you revive and control the size of your shrubs and trees.

• Buy the best tools you can afford. There is no alternative for good tools. Tools that cost half the value are not commercial in the long run. They can also fail you in the middle of a big project, just when you need them most.

One best way to guarantee good quality is to buy tools from a trustworthy dealer who is ready to guarantee their performance. Another quality test can be done by looking at the way tools are made. Tools with steel blades are strong enough to last for years without bending. Stainless steel is even better, because it won’t rust. Spades, shovels, and forks with hard ash handles are not likely to chip or break in the middle of an intense operation.

• Always make sure that you keep your tools in the right place so that they are easy to find. If all your tools are kept together and returned to their proper place after each use, simple garden projects will stay fast and easy.

• Make sure that hoes, soil rakes, and other tools are set with horizontal teeth or blades face down on the ground when they are not used.

• Keep a container of clean sand and machine oil in the garage so that you cure tools after every use. This is mainly helpful for rust-prone digging instruments such as shovels, garden forks, and hoes. After every use, rinse the instruments with water and dry the blades. Then put them in the oil/sand mixture. The sand will scour off remains, and the oil will coat the metal, retarding rust.

• When a hoe blade gets dull and takes more effort to use, file it like a knife with a sharpening stone.

• The best way to keep a plant healthy is to know when to cut back old growth.