Garden tool handle

A garden tool (10, figure 1) includes a work-engaging head 11 joined by a shank 20 to a plastics handle 30. Handle 30 has a relatively rigid plastics core body (31, figure 3). A cavity 35 is formed in handle 30 to divide it into forward and rearward portions. Cavity 35 is filled with a flexible and resilient material to accommodate flexing of the rearward portion relative to the forward portion. A flexible and resilient gripping sheath 46 covers the outer surface of core body (31) except for cavity 35. In one embodiment cavity 35 is in core body (31) and includes a notch 35. For digging tools, such as trowels, notch 35 is formed on the lower side of core body (31) adjacent to the distal end, while for pulling or raking tools, such as plows, notch (75, figure 6) is formed on the upper side of core body (71, figure 7) adjacent to the working end (51, figure 7). A recess (78, figure 7) may be formed in core body (71) opposite notch (75) to define a narrow hinge (79, figure 7). In another embodiment the cavity includes an aperture extending laterally through a lobe extension of the grip sheath, and in yet in another embodiment the cavity includes notches formed on upper and lower sides of the core body and defined by a hinge interconnecting the forward and rearward portions of the handle.