One of my favorite shovels is my long-handle round-point floral shovel from Ames. This tool has been with me for well over twenty years. It’s smaller than your standard shovel, with a handle that’s only 43 inches long. It’s also lighter, weighing just 2½ pounds. And yet it’s the perfect tool for many ordinary tasks. This little workhorse has seen me through several seasons of cultivating, transplanting perennials, moving soil in tight spaces, and now teaching my granddaughters to garden. The tempered steel blade is strong and durable, and it has withstood my grinding it to a sharp edge every spring. I plan to keep this shovel with me for another twenty years. 

—Marti Neely, FAPLD, owns and operates Marti Neely Design and Associates in Omaha, Nebraska.  

Source: hardwarestore.com

Price: $29