Hypericum and Clematis

Paul your garden is looking great. you have been very busy. the rain last night made weeding today a lot easier...

Yes, Sandra, it may mean I can get my fork into the soil at some of my customers' gardens this week. It's incredible this early in the year but some of the very heavy clay soils have been very difficult to dig and it's been impossible to pull weeds because the roots just break off in the soil.
I was really pleased to get some rain on my garden today, it made it look much fresher.

You use a fork Paul ? Congratulations a lot of so called gardeners will only do lawns .. cut and run merchants with only a mower and a strimmer will even try and edge lawns with a strimmer !

There again not fair to criticise them really as so many forks these days sold without instructions ..

Yes, I kept the instructions with mine Bb. It says always use with a knife and place at the left of a place setting unless lefthanded. Oh dear, I'm not using the wrong sort of fork am I? No wonder I can't dig with it!
I must confess, I do use a strimmer for trimming grass under shrubs etc or for taming overgrown grass before using the mower but I do use good old fashioned(long handled) edging shears and an edging (half moon) tool. I even use hand sheers on some hedges but I have a hedge trimmer for the bigger ones, particularly conifers. Although the petrol hedgetrimmers seem to be more trouble than they're worth! Always going wrong. Us poor gardeners have to try and earn an honest buck!

i like my hand hedge trimmers. those petrol ones would be dangerous in my hands.lol

Me too Paul learnt my lesson and followed the old adage buy cheap buy twice ...bit the bullet and invested in some top kit does pay in the long run as when using commercially it comes in for some heavy use.

Of course I use strimmers too but as you say you do need hand tools for certain jobs and irritates me to see those driving around without them .

Yes, some people round here think it's a quick easy way to make a few bob but they soon give up. It's amazing how difficult it is for people to find a gardener in our area.I'm full up and when people ask me if I know anyone else I always have to say no because few stick at it.
I don't know about dangerous, Sandra, but they are certainly heavy to swing about when you're up a ladder. Or perhaps it's just me getting old and weak , poor ol' devil!

Lovely garden Paul.

dangerous as in i'd get carried away and chop too much off...lol

Oh, I see. You musn't get too enthusiastic Sandra. You can always cut a bit more off later, but you can't stick any back on!!!!!!!
Thanks Frenchbean.