The trowel appears to be a disarmingly simple tool. In a way it is but, if you choose the wrong one, it will slow gardening tasks and buckle in a week or so. Pick the right one and it will be a friend for life and help with a wide diversity of jobs beyond planting.

Picking a trowel deserves concentration: they come in a wide variety of blades, handles and, believe it or not, functions. In the following trowel crib I start by explaining the three main blade materials used for making trowels.

What type of trowel?

1. Heat treated carbon steel is, as the name implied, steel with added carbon. The carbon makes the steel harder.

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2. Stainless steel gives a smooth finish which helps soil slide easily off the blade, or the blade slide seamlessly into the soil (well, sometimes).

3. Aluminium is the lightest material for the blade. Polished aluminium reduces soil cling (other than in my parents’ heavy clay which would cling to Teflon given a chance). Aluminium is sometimes used to make flimsy trowels that bend as soon as they look at a flower bed. On the other hand one of my favourite trowels (the Radius Grip Weeder, below) is light, robust and made from aluminium.

4. Posh wooden handles are all very well but, if you loose the tool, it will be difficult to find. Brightly coloured handles are a better bet. Squashy brightly coloured ones are even better because they’re easier on the hands.

Top trowels

5. The Wilkinson Sword PowerGrip Transplanter has scales (in cm and inches) running up the head. The polished aluminium head has a serrated edge. It comes with a lifetime guarantee and a squashy black and orange handle.

6. The wide blade of Burgeon and Ball’s stainless steel trowel is great for digging large holes, less great for pushing down into compacted, awkward areas. At around £10 is a sturdy traditional trowel with a discreet hardwood handle plus a loop of leather threaded through the handle for hanging the tool.

7. Conversely, Wolf’s narrow pressed steel blade (around £6) will slice into the earth but won’t carry as much soil as the Burgon and Ball blade. Wolf’s red and yellow livery handle shows up well

8. The Radius Grip Weeder can be used to weed plants with long tap roots, such as docks and dandelions – but it is also a general purpose garden tool and trowel. You can use it to plant bulbs, particularly in confined spaces like containers; saw through root with the serrated blade edge; cut through bramble stems by pulling the wings of the blade sharply backwards against the stems; and help sow seeds along the channel running down the centre of the blade. It has a curious semi-circular handle which aims to make digging and weeding more comfortable – this is an ideal tool for anyone with arthritic hands, apparently. I cannot vouch for that but I can vouch for the tool itself which is light and, given its lurid green handle, shows up well almost wherever you’ve left it. It costs $13 (excluding shipping) via Amazon.com.

9. Pretty Useful Tools makes a trowel and cultivator set for £17. They are smothered in various floral patterns and do not look like the business. My daughter gave me one, from the Elizabeth range. That was two years ago. I am still using it and the floral design is completely intact despite the fact that I have left it outside. It is sturdy and easy to use and my only criticism is that the handle is cold in winter.

10. I have yet to come across a tool marketed as a ‘children’s trowel’ which is anything better than useless. They buckle as soon as they are used thus bringing instant disappointment to children. Better to let children use a proper, well-made trowel. Those with sharp blades are probably best avoided but the odd-looking Radius Grip Weeder may provide hours of entertainment.

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