What works for what

I've been working with other borough gardeners and everyone admires my Fiskars tools. Jealousy has been expressed! The light aluminum shafts make a big difference when carrying tools and loading and unloading a truckload of tools. People (including me) admire the extra length of the shafts also, less bending is required which makes a difference on a big job. And I appreciate the orange color of the handles so I can easily distinguish my own tools from the rest. The hard rake has interestingly angled teeth and it's very effective at grabbing material and spreading material efficiently, especially wood chips and leaf mulch. The loppers are great for pruning the deadwood off young trees at Cadman Plaza Park which was relandscaped in the past couple of years. The lighter weight helps when holding a tool high for a long while, moving from tree to tree along a perimeter. And the shrub rake remains my favorite, such a good size for clearing weeds and leaves from between perennials and shrubs, under and behind benches, and out of narrow places where a wide rake is too clumsy.

The gardens we planted in May and June are thriving since there's been enough rain. People are thrilled to see flowers blooming now, that were little green stubs when planted! We had some extra T shirts that came in handy too since one group of volunteers got soaked in a sudden rain, so we gave them crisp dry orange T shirts which perked up the rainy afternoon.