That sounds like something I could use too ! I always struggle to get the threads going properly and also scrape my knuckles . Not to mention the darn faucet is an inch or two off the ground and next to a downspout! :(

i bought the spearhead spade advertised as the best shovel you'll ever own . I didn't think it would make much difference but it has been amazing in my hard rocky clay soil ! I would replace it in an instant if I had to . It's just so effortless and really helpful tool!

That kind of hose fitting is standard here, and comes with the hose- however they are mostly nasty cheap ones, and tend to leak unless you want to pay extra for good ones.

My favourite gadget is a bulb planter that came as part of a set of gardening tools. I wasnt sure if it would be that useful in my extremely sandy soil, but give it a good stab and twist into the ground, and voila! a nice little hole just the right size and depth for a bulb is created.

As with curdle, standard here when buying a hose usually, you get all these connections with it. I can connect or disconnect my hose in a matter of seconds, but I usually store it in the shed for the winter period.

To be honest erasmus, I'm surprised it's new to you there.

Hoses don't come with those things here, at least not the hoses I've bought. I have known about the snap couplers for awhile but never got around to getting one. Husband said he got it at Tiffany's.

Can someone post a pic or link of snap hose connector?

Here's a link: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Yardsmith-Yardsmith-Metal-Quick-Connector-Set/50328307

I like bulb planters also, especially the long handled kind you step on. To use the snap connector you just push up on the black plastic thing attached to the faucet, and the brass part on the hose locks in place into that. I have used a kid's rake in small spaces.

It sounds funny to me that these couplers seem to be a relatively uknown thing in the US. I can't remember when it last was that I didn't have one on each tap and hose end. Maybe 30 years ago? Over here you can get them easily everywhere in sizes up to 5/8" (16mm). You can also get a thingy to quickly connect two hoses together to get a longer length.

What a handy thing! Only $5.98 Definitely worth it. I can't believe I've never heard of this. Thank you. Lisa

Hmmm. I wonder if the quick release is a regional thing. I've had them for years on various outdoor AND indoor taps. The main problem is finding high-quality metal one as the plastic barely last a year if accidentally left, which I always seem to do. One of my favorite uses of the quick-release valve is with soaker hoses outside my front wall; I leave the hose in place and just quickly attach the leader when I want to water. I plant to use multiple segment when I finally put them in my rose bed to help account for the better drainage and slighty wetter condition of certain area. I also use a dual or triple shut-off valve to attach multiple hoses for differing purposes which has helped a lot. I also get alot of use of of my little red Flyer wagon to cart stuff around. Great post!

I bought a Y shut off valve so I could connect two hoses to my backyard faucet, but haven't bothered to attach it. I don't have a faucet in the front yard, so have to lug long hoses from back to front. Thought with a Y thing I could leave a hose in place. Then I didn't follow up on it because I decided that it was good exercise to keep moving hoses around. I have a little wagon that I use a lot in place of a wheelbarrow.

One reason the snap connectors may not be that popular in the US is larger yards. We sometimes water four hundred feet from the nearest hose, and if the hoses didn't screw together, they would pull apart from the weight of water on four or more hoses going down hill with a altitude loss of about seventy feet. (Some of our hoses can't take it, regardless).

Let me nominate the Horii, which I first heard of on GardenWeb, from one of the California posters (I seem to remember RoseFolly, but may be misremembering). The horii has worked so well in my heavy clay getting unwanted roots out. It's been used so much the blade is lovely smooth from the silts and sands it's used in sometimes.

Goatskin farm gloves that we get at Sam's are reasonably priced, and thin enough that I feel secure that I'm pulling out only the intended weed.

I googled Horii, and my husband enjoyed the images before I added garden tool, FYI. The garden knife looks good.

Ann, I got a horii knife for Christmas. I can't wait to try it. I hope it will be as useful for me as it has been for you.

Very funny, Sheila:) Lisa

I love my thorn and leaf stripper for cut flowers! Can't believe I never spent the $10 on one before. So easy.

They're out of stock now, but this is what I got...

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/tools-supplies/cut-flower-supplies/thorn-and-leaf-stripper-7605.html?cgid=cut-flower-supplies#start=1

Hori's and strippers. We're getting naughty. ;)

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten taller with time. And I still have major trouble reaching the middle of rectangular beds. I splurged on weeding tools with longer handles (from Lee Valley).

http://www.leevalley.com/us/garden/page.aspx?p=72074&cat=2,44823&ap=1

I love my Felco pruners, my garden seat and my "grabber" (2 arms close with a handle to pick up stuff without bending over)..

I have Quick Connectors on every part of my hose system, faucets, hoses, sprayers, wands etc. They're wonderful. My advice is to stick with the brass ones if at all possible. The plastic ones are cheaper and do work but do not last as long. In the long run the brass is cheaper because you don't have to keep replacing it.

Not exactly a garden gadget but I have one of those long handled grabbers just for the garden. It saves my back a great deal for picking things up off the ground. It also comes in handy when I want to get something deeper in the bed without having to crawl into the roses to get it.

Another good gadget is a rope saw. It looks like a bicycle chain on a rope, with a bean bag attached to the end of the rope to throw over high branches. We have removed some moderate sized branches with it, first attaching a pull rope to get the branch to fall in the right place. I probably have more trees in my garden than most.

I love, love, love my left handed razor hoe - it's one of my go to tools.

The long handled bulb planter is really great when doing large batches of bulbs, and the crocus bulb planter actually gets more use than I thought it would - not least because the crocuses keep getting chomped by squirrels.

I have a miniature hand rake, aka a shrub rake see inset. Great for getting under roses with relatively minimal damage. (With roses there's always some!)

I use screw connectors to attach lengths of hose together and snap connectors for attaching to taps and for watering attachments.

I don't have many more gadgets - unless the apple picker is a gadget? Our ancient apple tree likes to have it's best fruit up high, so it's very useful for the one day a year that I use it!

That rope saw is something I have never heard of before. I suppose it will be easy to improvise one using a length of chainsaw and some links. It sounds a bit dangerous though, both for the tree as you cannot undercut and for the user as it has the potential to create so called 'widowmaker' branches..

I find a good long telescopic pruning saw and twig cutter indispensible for doing some tree work on shorter trees while avoiding climbing ladders. I have one which accepts different saws or a rope cutter.

I'm especially fond of my root pruning saw. It is very good at getting into tight spaces when pruning roses with branches too close together. I've been trying to post a picture but somehow it's not sticking.

I like my Hula hoe for clearing weeds, possibly similar to the razor hoe FduckGW mentioned.

I also like my hori-hori for digging in the soil.

Rosefolly

Nick,

the rope saw was first in North America as a saw for Boy Scouts, but then it was deemed too dangerous for them.

About that time, major plumbing pipes switched from being cast iron to heavy plastic, and those saws are now readily available for cutting pvc pipe that can be six inches across and of various gauges. The PVC cutters are really cheap and there's a wide assortment on amazon.us. This link should show you what they look like.

https://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-858-Pipe-Cable/dp/B002FYUNGA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484436104&sr=8-1&keywords=wire+saw+for+pvc+pipe

DH mocks me b/c I'm constantly scouting for gadgets and don't use 1/2 of them. My apron, spade, pruners and bucket are all I need but I found something else I do use, which I wanted to share here. It is a boot jack, and one garden inspired at that. Got it on eBay and very reasonable. Obviously I'm not removing boots but I have and it works equally well.