Ames and Corona Loppers VS. Black and Decker Electric Hedge Trimmer

Pruning is an art worthy of investing your time. It promotes healthy plant growth and shapes garden space. Yet some of the odd weather patterns experienced lately may have limited your ability to get around to some of your garden tasks. If you're like me, pruning is a pleasure, for once you help your garden without resorting to your knees.

Tasks related to pruning can include:

- removing dead wood

- shaping for presentation, to nurture fruit wood and boom

- shaping to clear pathways and divide garden space

- promoting healthy growth

The choice of the correct tool often comes down to the size of branch or stem. Although I love my Black and Decker Electric Hedge Trimmer, sometimes the branches are too hard or thick to cut. The Black and Decker Electric Hedge Trimmer is much lighter to carry than a gas-powered version, but requires an extension cord and outdoor power outlet. It starts when you press the button, placed conveniently to keep your hands out of the blade. It has a knob and plastic loop to tie the extension cord out of trimming operations, which is quite handy. Nevertheless, I have chopped my extension cord in two, a rather costly operation. The biggest advantage of using my Black and Decker Hedge Trimmer is I can trim up most the yard's plants in a few hours and without feeling like my arms are going to fall off.

When branches are hard or too thick to cut, I have to resort to my Ames or Corona Lopper. Lopper's come in various sizes and lengths, I have one sized to cut 1 ¾ inch branches and a fifteen foot one to cut branches high up a trellis or tree. The steel end cuts a single stem like butter. More modern brands have a Teflon coating to prevent rust and stickiness from sap. The Lopper's main downside is it cuts one branch at a time. Some brands have extra cushioning on the handles to help prevent blisters, but they also require bigger hands and the foam does breakdown and peel off. The longer arm length on mine is good for leverage when cutting near the width limit. Often I'll cut branches, pull them into a pile, then run down the length of the branch chopping into 12" sections needed to maximize my recycle container storage. But using my lopper to shape bushes is very labor intensive.

Plants I use my Ames lopper on include:

- Buddleia. In spring I cut the plant down to mid height to produce a bushier plant with more bloom. I also remove crossing stems to open up the plant.

- Wigelia. I cut out forward branches that arch over other plants.

- Blackberry. Several times a year I chop off intruding branches. The Ames lopper saves my hands from being torn to shreds.

- Roses, Rhododendrons, Lilacs. In spring I prune out dead branches at the nearest inside limb.

- Yew. I trim off thick branches.

Plants I use my Corona Extended lopper on include:

- Climbing Roses and Clematis to keep the branches from growing into my gutters.

- Japanese Snowbell trees to remove crossing branches.

Plants I use my Black and Decker Hedge Trimmer on include:

- Spirea. I round them down to a given size to promote bloom.

- Lavendar, Rosemary, Chrysanthemum. I use to deadhead flowers.

- Old fashioned Roses. I shear them back to keep thorny branches off the deck and staircases.

- Ivy. I use to trim up the length to keep it off sidewalks and patios.

Overall, these tools, my Ames and Corona Loppers and my Black and Decker Electric Hedge Trimmer make life pleasant in the garden and save me tons of work. After pruning, I often have to rake up trimmings and recycle them. Once those tasks are done, my garden looks healthy, blooms well, and maintains a well-ordered structure.