Japanese garden tools - Illustration by Helen KrayenhoffFor any parent in your life who gardens, consider a gift this Mother’s or Father’s Day (May 14th, June 18th) of one of the most indispensable small hand tools, the claw, or cultivator. The cultivator is a smallish member of the fork family; its one or more tines are bent at an angle to the handle, and it is pulled through the soil to dislodge weeds and break clods and can also be employed as a backscratcher. We carry three models of these small cultivators, for $8.99, $14.99 and $23.99.

Besides giving a claw to ma or pa, you could present the hands that rocked your cradle with a pair of gloves. Whether worn grubbing around in the soil, or simply to preserve a manicure while petting the snails, gloves are indispensable and always welcome. We have a big selection of styles and sizes, including the stretchy and comfortable Bellingham blue gloves ($5.99).

Parents and children on the staff of Berkeley Hort will gladly make more suggestions for Mother’s and Father’s Day gifts. Here’s a list of a few of our favorite, inexpensive (less than $30) small tools:

Hatchet-Claw (Bachi Hoe) For chopping  roots, digging small holes.

Japanese Sickle  For cutting tall weeds, blackberry.

Hori Hori Knife  For digging, cutting containers, slicing roots.

Hand Rake For tight spaces.

L-shaped Weeder  For weeding between pavers.

Bamboo Besom Broom  Beautiful, rake-ish.