• Garden tools and equipment help you plant and maintain your garden.Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images
  
  Gardening is a very fulfilling hobby -- especially growing your own flower bed and vegetable garden. But if you want to create your own garden, then you'll need the correct tools and equipment. Hand tools help you plant your seeds and plants, and maintain them. Garden equipment makes certain processes easier, including moving soil and cutting down weeds.
  
  

Shears

• Garden shears prune and trim plants, trees and bushes, and different shears do different work. Bypass pruners are a universal type of garden shears, and you operate them with one hand. Hedge shears feature serrated blades, allowing you to trim bushes and hedges. Use flower shears specifically for trimming flowers. These shears are compact and are designed not to hurt the plants. Use lopping shears -- long handled shears that allow you to access tight areas -- for trimming branches on trees. To trim small shrubs, use anvil pruners, which cut similarly to knives.
  
  

Wheelbarrow

• A wheelbarrow helps you move soil, materials and plants around your yard. Pile your debris in this piece of garden equipment, and move it out of your yard. Generally, wheelbarrows have between one and four wheels. Two to four wheel wheelbarrows provide more stability than single wheel wheelbarrows. Use two to four wheel wheelbarrows for moving around heavier materials like bricks or concrete. Wheelbarrows come with either metal or plastic trays. Plastic trays do not rust like metal does and can last longer in harsh conditions.
  
  

String Trimmer

• A string trimmer or weedwhacker is a gas or electric powered piece of garden equipment, and it cuts down grasses and weeds. This device has a long shaft, and cuts via a moving string as opposed to a blade. Hold on to the trimmer either via a strap that goes around your arm or shoulder, or via a handle. The controls are typically located on the back of the device.
  
  String trimmers come in two styles: gas and electric. A gas string trimmer operates via an internal combustion engine that runs on gas. The electric string trimmer uses an electric motor, and generally comes with either a cord or a rechargeable battery.
  
  

Hoe

• A garden hoe is a multipurpose tool that helps you remove weeds, create rows or dig up soil or rocks. This tool usually features a long shaft with a rubber grip at the end, which helps you control the tool without slippage. The blade on this tool is made of metal and is flat. The hoe head either has a long, dull blade, or a triangular head. Use this tool for breaking up hardened soil around plants or in new flower beds, or mixing in fertilizer or feed.