Gossip in the Garden

Let’s talk about pruners.  I have my expensive Felcos, which I love. I also have my $8.00 Home Depot pruners, which I also love.  The good thing about Felcos (or Bahco, or other higher end brands) is that they’re super easy to take apart to sharpen and will last forever, whereas the cheap ones are pretty much one-shot wonders.  Sure, you can sharpen them for awhile, but if you use them hard enough, they’ll just give out on you after about a year or so.

Also, if you’re like me and tend to ‘lose yourself’ in your garden, creating huge piles of debris which you dutifully compost or recycle in your city’s compost bins then, like me, you may have also accidentally composted your Felcos in there as well.  I’ve gone through enough Felcos to fund my daughter’s first year of college, so I’ve finally decided to buy more of the cheap ones.  That way, if I accidentally toss them, it’s no big deal and I don’t lose sleep over it.

A neighbor of mine, who has an absolutely gorgeous garden, uses her kids’ scissors as pruners.  Regular old scissors!  In fact, she says she prefers them over most pruners.  Hey – whatever works.  And if you could see her garden, then you’d probably give scissors a try, too!

A simple rule of thumb?  If they’re sharp, use them.  And if they’re not so sharp it’s okay, just try and use the sharp ones – they’ll work better, make cleaner cuts, and your plants will thank you (once their wounds have healed).

Interested in seeing a great video on how to sharpen pruners? (and get to listen to some roosters crowing at the same time?)

If so, just click here…