I have found the best tool deals at "barn" sales. Farmers seem to always have a collection of rakes,hoes and spades in a group some where. I found a nice deep short handle spade for 50 cents:D
I had one little buttercup come up in my side garden and left it because it was so "cute"
Within 2 years it had surrounded the house, overrun other plants and become what I called" the cursed flower" Something to share with your enemies...It swarmed over walk ways, ran into the lawn, resisted...
This is just a suggestion, but have you tried this? I pin down woody sections to ground where new growth starts. cover with earth over woody spot where pinned, and get it to root there. Sometomes I score the side of the stem and brush on a little root hormone.
I do it in the spring and ussually...