Pruners at a Glance

If you don't already own cutting tools, here's a quick overview. Let's start with the smallest and move up.

>>Bypass pruners.

These hand-held tools are great for deadheading and cutting slender twigs and stems. Bypass pruners have two curving blades; anvil pruners have a blade that smashes the twig against a metal surface. Go with the bypass style.

>>Hedge shears.

I use these multi-purpose tools to trim hedges and ornamental trees, and to shear perennials. Electric edge trimmers are handy for really big hedges.

>>Loppers

While hedge shears have relatively short handles and slightly longer, straight-edged blades, loppers are the opposite- they have long handles and blades like bypass pruners, but are stronger. They're great for cutting single stems that are thick and tough, and for getting at slender branches in high places. You can even get loppers with a pulley attachment that lets you operate the blade from the ground when you want to cut off a really high branch.

>>Pruning saws.

These come in several sizes, from small and collapsible (like a jackknife) to large. Some are attached to a long stick for cutting tall branches. The gently curved blade has lots of sharp teeth.

>>Chainsaws.

You must have one if you have lots of trees and shrubs. Any branch bigger around than your leg is a lot quicker for a machine saw than for you (though I do it all the time because I don't own a chainsaw). I hope to find one of the new mini-chainsaws (made with women in mind) under the tree this Christmas. You might mention to my husband that Husqvarna makes an especially nice one. And, because I refuse to deal with any machine that has a carburetor unless it's a car, he should get the plug-in model.

— Bonnie Blodgett

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