Pruners & Knives

Garden Pruners are used for trimming small branches, pruning rose bushes, snipping flowers etc. There are basically three different types of pruners - anvil, bypass and ratchet.
Anvil Pruners have a single straight cutting blade that closes down onto a flat edge - the 'anvil'. Anvil Pruners produce a slicing action, similar to a knife, and are good when cutting through dead wood and carrying out more heavy duty work on tougher stems.
Bypass Pruners are the most popular. The tool consists of two curved blades - one sharp and one not - that 'bypass' each other when cutting to create a good clean cut. These are ideal if you need accurate cuts on delicate stems.
Ratchet Pruners are basically Anvil Pruners but with a 'ratchet' mechanism built in. This makes it possible for you to cut through a branch in 3 or 4 movements rather than in one cutting action, so are especially useful for those gardeners with smaller or weaker hands.
Short handled pruners are available - sometimes called secateurs - and long handled pruners are available - sometimes known as loppers - and for reaching high branches long handled or telescopic pruners are also available. Select the ones based on what's growing in your garden Remember to keep the blades of the garden pruners sharp - otherwise you'll end up with bruised and damaged plants.

Traditional gardeners will use garden knives for taking cuttings or for fine pruning. Although many of us now will use a pair of Secateurs instead, a sharp knife is an invaluable tool for any keen gardener. A deft flick of the wrist will let you to do delicate pruning, whilst a garden knife blade will produce a very quick, clean cut which is what you need for taking successful cuttings.