Both of us have been gardening since we were youngsters. We helped our dad on weekends by turning soil, weeding, planting, pruning, edging, fertilizing, watering and whatever else was required of us.

And, although it at first seemed a chore, gardening has become a favorite hobby for both of us. The smell of rich soil, the beauty of spring blossoms, the joy of harvesting fruit and the pleasure of watching a favorite shrub grow healthy and tall have become pleasant garden experiences.

Although gardening is relatively inexpensive, a small investment in the proper set of tools is prudent.

Not everyone has a garden large enough to warrant a wheelbarrow, but such a tool can be an invaluable asset for many. The wheelbarrow can be used to haul everything from earth to plants to tools. You can even use it to mix concrete for hardscaping (the non-living part of the landscape). If you don't have a storage shed, remember to store your wheelbarrow nose down. This will prevent water from puddling and causing rust.

Two types of shovels are a must for every basic gardening tool kit a round-nose and a spade. Don't confuse a flat-nose shovel with a spade. Flat-nose ones curl at each end of the tip, whereas a spade has a perfectly flat tip. Where the round-nose is used for digging holes and trenches, a spade is most valuable for edging. Don't opt for a cheap shovel. To get your money's worth, you will want a tool that can take a beating. The blade should be a good grade of steel and the handle made of a good hardwood that will bend, but not break.

Two types of rakes are a must. A lawn rake and a bow rake. Our dad always referred to the bow rake as the steel rake. By that, we knew he meant the rigid one. The tines of a lawn rake are flexible (spring steel or plastic), and are designed to remove debris from lawns, bedding and ground cover. The bow rake is designed to rake heavier debris from dirt and rock areas. It also is invaluable as a grading tool.

Electric chopping tools that cut weeds off at the ground are fast and easy to use. But, leaving the roots intact guarantees a season of chopping. Root removal is necessary to do away with them permanently. For that, invest in a garden hoe. Here again it is important to spend a little more and purchase a tool that has a sturdy hardwood handle and a high-grade steel blade. With a good blade, you be able to hone a sharp cutting edge making the hoe easier to use. Soft steel can be sharpened, but will not hold an edge.

We have hose hooks and hose reels, but we prefer the latter. The reel takes the work out of putting the hose away and eliminates the cracks caused by kinks. Hoses should be stored void of water. And, draining the hose while rolling it onto a hose reel is mostly automatic.

Hedge shears are a must for shaping shrubs and hedges. There is no less-expensive or more-effective tool for creating all types of shapes from a lollipop to a cone to the outline of an animal. Here again, high-grade steel blades are essential. Good blades can be sharpened hundreds of times. A tip that will save premature replacement: After each use, rinse all garden tools not just hedge shears dry with a clean cloth and coat with a cutting oil. This reduces the chance for rust, and lubricates moving parts ensuring smooth, safe operation the next time around.

There are other valuable hand tools such as the trowel, cultivator, hand pruner and grass shears. More often than not, a shovel is just too large for planting small plants and cultivating small areas. The trowel and hand cultivator make light work of these tasks. The trick is to get tools with comfortable handles. Remember, it is safer to plant too shallow than too deep. As a matter of fact, according to several landscape contractors we know, the biggest killer of new plants is planting them too deep.

If you want to spend the money, consider investing in battery-operated lawn shears. But, be sure to have a pair of the old-fashioned, hand-operated kind in the event of battery failure. It seems that power tools never fail until there is an emergency.

And, last, but definitely not least, don't forget a hand pruner. We like the kind with a cutting blade that closes against a wide base with a slot that accepts the cutting blade. Too often scissor-style pruners spread and fail to cut effectively. Don't be shy about using your hand pruner to trim dead wood and old blossoms. Pruning is more effective if you know where to prune. For example: with a rose, prune a flower back to any five-leaf growth leaving the five leaves.