Why You Should Use The Right Garden Tool For the Job

Do you love gardening but hate the thought of the aches and pains that follows after all that bending and kneeling? I understand.

Picture this. You're basking in what I call the "after-gardening glow".  I mean, you have the satisfaction of having made good progress in your garden. A lot of digging and pulling. You're on a natural high from destroying a gazillion weeds. 

You've planted seeds. Your endorphins are through the roof!  You sit back and say, "I did good"!  The after-gardening glow is Real!

And then, BAM! 

It sets in. You become stiff.  Every muscle in your body aches. 

Sound familiar?  

Does it make good sense to do all that work in your garden and be laid up and unable to move afterward? No, I don't think so.

I have one piece of advice: USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB.

Invest in a good garden workbench or stool and give your body a break. You need one that can hold your weight and hold a few hand tools. I found mine online. I'll link it here:

This one is sturdy enough to hold my husband who weighs about 200 lbs. and it folds easily into a padded kneeler. That soft padding makes a difference when sitting or kneeling for extended periods of time. 

When folded as a kneeler, the legs of this garden workbench serve as side handles to help you steady yourself as you stand up.  I've used it both ways and it's great!  I'll link my Youtube video where I show more details of this workbench. 

It comes with two removable pouches that can hold all the gardening hand tools you need for the task. This was an awesome find! Your back will thank you!

I hope this was helpful. Contact me if have questions. Happy Gardening!

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Rock Garden for Beginners

Got a bare patch in your backyard? Grass won't grow? Create a rock garden!  To say we had bare patches in our backyard is putting it mildly. We had a desert! Over the years, a huge part of the backyard had become shaded by a tree and the desert was getting bigger each year. This combined with our personal neglect lead to a dry, dusty condition. So, we hired a landscaper and lawn treatment expert to help rehab our lawn. Before they got started, I decided to mark off a small area for a rock garden.

I've never done this before, but I was confident that I could make this work. So, let's start at the beginning!

Where do you get rocks? Your big box hardware store, nursery or quarry carries rocks. But if you live in Connecticut, you should be able to find rocks right in your backyard. We had tons of rocks! I spent a few hours digging up large and small rocks and moving them over to the area that I mapped out for my garden. 

Prepping The Soil

I used a rake and a hoe to clear pockets of dead grass and weeds and did my best to get the surface as clear as possible.

I then rolled out weed blocker on the cleared area and used the larger rocks around the perimeter to hold the sheets in place. I cut holes in the weed blocker where I planned to add plants. 

                                      

  

Adding Plants

Speaking of plants,  I chose PERENNIALS, which means that they will come back year after year. Below are the plants in my rock garden:

• 2 Hostas (one transplanted from the front yard)
• Miniature Rose bush
• Black-eyed Susan
• Lily (type unknown) 

I should mention that I used a little potting soil as I planted my flowers. I did this to make sure that the plants had enough fertile soil in which to grow. Remember, that area of our back yard already had a reputation for being hard on grass and plant life, so I wanted to give it as much help as possible.

Don't Forget to Mulch

After all the plants were in, I covered the area with red mulch. Mulch is great for suppressing weeds and helping soil retain water. It's also an attractive addition to any garden or landscape. 

                                          

Lastly, I placed large and small rocks randomly around the plants to add a little more visual interest. There is no right or wrong way to do this. What I wanted to do was make it look like the plants were growing out of the rocks. I would have added more rocks, but my back was killing me!

I hope you're inspired to start a rock garden of your own. For more inspiration, please check out my DIY Rock Garden video below:

Disclosure: Links may contain affiliates. When you buy through one of our links we will receive a commission. This is at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Life on Greenwood and allowing me to continue to bring you valuable content.