Only 1 in 30 People Can Name These Gardening Tools From an Image. Are You One of Them?

By: Chelsea
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Can you tell a shovel from a spade? Know the difference between a cultivator and a transplanter? Show off that green thumb with this gardening tools quiz!

Everyone knows that gardening comes with some pretty obvious benefits. First all all, you get gorgeous flowers out of the deal. If you choose to, you can grow your own food. Even if your gardening skills are less than stellar, you can still enjoy the very act itself, including the time surrounded by fresh air and sunshine. 

In addition to these well-known advantages, there are emotional, mental and physical benefits even a modest garden can provide. According to the Michigan State University Extension, gardening brings mental clarity and an intrinsic sense of reward. The practice also gives people a sense of tranquility and relaxation -- which is good for maintaining mental peace and keeping stress in check. Finally, gardening serves as a form of moderate exercise, which comes with a whole host of benefits -- from reduced risk of obesity to a lower risk of many different diseases and health conditions.

And yet, for all its offerings, there is one universal gardening truth that must be acknowledged - growing a successful garden is hard. Even those with the greenest of thumbs can fall victim to weather, pests, soil or plain bad luck. You can do everything right and still end up with a bunch of dead plants.

Fortunately, the right tools and equipment can make the job easier and improve your odds for success, but do you know which tools you need? Take our quiz to prove it!



Used primarily to toss hay around, the pitchfork has a long handle with several long spikes that grab material, like cut grass or hay. Watch your toes when stabbing this baby toward the ground.

The weed whacker is a great tool for cutting down grass or brush, especially in hard-to-reach places or steep hills that mowers cannot access. Generally gas powered, the spinning head has a tough string that cuts weeds, brush and grass efficiently.

Toothed garden rakes are an aggressive style of rake, best for moving sand on the golf course or larger material like rocks. Not ideal for leaves, the toothed garden rake has a long handle and metal rake end.

Use this gardening product when you want to enhance the growth of your plants, indoors or outdoors. With many different variations and strengths, fertilizer can make or break your garden’s production yields.

Use these when you want to protect the delicate skin on your hands when laboring in the garden. Gardening gloves are an essential tool for your gardening adventures.

An unassuming but valuable asset, the plant label is a great way to make sure your garden is organized and identifiable. Plant labels are a great way to make sure you pick the right veggies!

This tiller consists of a long handle at one end and several rotating digging wheels or spikes that break apart the earth. Some versions may also have a fixed set of prongs that dig and a T-handle on the other end to twist the earth apart.

The classic tool for cutting wood or chopping down trees, the axe has a sharp metal head that slices into the wood like a knife into butter. The other end is a wooden or fiberglass handle that the user grips and swings. Make sure you spread your feet apart and practice basic safety when using this tool.

A hose is a great tool for getting precious water to your plants. Coming in variable lengths, it can also be used for clean-up jobs or keeping your puppy entertained!

This tool is great for recycling everyday items into usable plant food. The compost bin is an ideal way to let science take its natural course and recycle food waste into fertilizer.

Used for tying up plants to support stakes, twine is an essential gardening tool. Whether you are securing your start-up plants or reinforcing your fence, twine is key for your garden.

The lawnmower is certainly the best tool for managing the length of the grass in your yard, ball field or farm. Generally gas powered, the lawnmower can be a simple single blade that you walk behind or a set of multiple spinning cutting blades that the user rides atop of.

One end is sharp to drive into the soi; the other is blunt, for hammering. The wooden stake is great for securing weed barriers or underlayment, or for supporting young plants.

These are a must if you are trying to protect your feet for work all day in the garden or on the farm. Mud boots are water resistant, heavily treaded and come up close to the knees.

A water nozzle attaches to the end of a hose to control the flow of the water spray. The threaded end screws onto the hose to make a watertight seal. The handle is used to control the spray.

Used to water plants in a larger area or garden, a sprinkler connects to the hose and shoots streams of water out and up to cover the area in need of a drink.

Large and triangular, this rake is perfect for yards or areas with a lot of trees, particularly in the fall. What's not to enjoy about raking huge piles of leaves and jumping in them?

The trench shovel has a skinnier, sharper point than the traditional shovel. This blade shape aids the user in “trenching” or ditch digging, by allowing the shovel to operate well below the surface of the soil.

The scoop is good for moving dirt, small rock or scooping your litter box! Use this tool in the garden to plant bulbs as well.

The primary tool to move material from point A to point B, the wheelbarrow consists of a wheel and axle, a big bucket and two handles. The wheelbarrow is an entirely necessary tool for a large garden.

Great for turning smaller branches into wood chips for the garden. A wood chipper is ideal when doing any tree removal projects.

This tool is great for hand digging in the garden. The hand trowel fits in any tool belt or bag. The sharp small shovel end cuts through the dirt and preps the earth for planting.

Have you wanted to start a garden but feel you don't have the space? Try a micro-garden! Pick up some garden containers and your favorite flowers, herbs or veggies, then plant away!

Do you know which plants are most prone to dying from frost? Potted plants, soft woods and currently blooming plants are likely to die when the frost comes. Protect your beloved flora by using these protection bags.

For larger gardens, the disc harrow is used to till up the soil and break apart weeds and last year's remnants. The disc harrow can also be used to prepare trenches before planting seeds and small plants.

The watering can is a basic necessity, especially if you have a large garden and no sprinkler system. It is also useful for making indoor plant watering efficient and easy.

This tool is used to remove weeds or stir up soil. A loop hoe has a long handle with a metal loop at the other end that aids the user in tilling the earth to a specific depth and soil consistency.

Terra-cotta pots are a time-honored favorite. For the eco-friendly gardener, try biodegradable planting pots. Some common biodegradable pots are Jiffy-Strips, Western Pulp and fiber.

Kneeling pads are just for those gardeners with knee problems; they're a great proactive solution for any gardener of any age! Keep your joints young by taking one of these with you next time you're weeding or planting on your knees for extended periods of time.

A gardening tamper is a square of cast iron (or another strong metal) with a long, wooden pole attached to it. If you need one of these, go to your local hardware store and look in the "striking tool" section.

Did you know that the largest seed in the world is that of a palm tree, and it can weigh up to 40 pounds? Don't try to put one of these in your seed tray!

The pickaxe is shaped like the letter T; there's a wooden handle on the bottom and a strong metal bar on the top. It is a strong tool that can break apart stone and other hard materials.

A draw hoe tills the earth with a steel blade. Consisting of a long handle with a flat, sharpened steel blade at one end, the draw hoe is great for getting the soil ready for planting in the spring.

This is the classic, primary hand digging tool. Consisting of a full length handle and a steel blade, the spade can dig just about anything.

A water barrel looks like a large drum and is also called a rain barrel. Planning to catch a lot of rain? There's even a 1,000-gallon size!

A gardening tool belt is a great way to store the various hand tools needed to get the job done. Coming in various styles and sizes, these belts have lots of pockets and loops to hold all of your tools.

Used like a broom, the yard brush has a bottom that is narrower and more compact than a garage broom. It has rough, flexible bristles that can whisk away anything you don't want!

Why is this tool called a round mouth shovel? Take a look at the blade part of it. It's more rounded than a regular shovel. It's a great everyday shovel, to be used for digging and for moving materials.

This special knife can be used in many gardening applications. With a flatter, wider blade than the traditional table knife, the gardening knife may have a serrated edge to aid when weeding or cutting plants.

Pruners are like heavy-duty scissors with very long handles. The extra length provides leverage, for greater cutting power.

This tool has a hand grip that's connected to a metal spike with a split prong at the end. The weeder’s split prong is good for grabbing plants and weeds and ripping them up to the surface for removal.

A weed cover, also known as weed fabric, is useful for places you want to preserve for planting but aren't quite ready to actually plant in yet. It's a great alternative to black plastic, crushed stone and organic mulches.

Secateurs - or pruning shears - are a fancy pruning tool that you can easily use with just one hand. They are tough enough for outdoor plants, yet compact enough for indoor trimming.

Protect your nice duds when wearing your gardening apron. Some aprons come with pockets to hold hand tools or other small items. The garden tool can save some real coin if you care about your clothes!

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