Choosing the right pruners.

Choosing the right pruners. Your hand size and grip strength and the type of pruning you’ll be doing are important factors in choosing a pruner. Pruners can be broken down into two basic categories: anvil and bypass.

 

Anvil pruners have a fixed flat blade (anvil) and one moving blade that pins the branch in place and then cuts it. It’s much like using a knife on a chopping board. Anvil pruners tend to crush the branch rather that cut it. Anvil pruners are very useful in cutting dead branches.

 

 

Bypass pruners cut like a pair of scissors. One sharp blade cuts the branch as it moves by a thicker, unsharpened blade. Using a bypass pruner will result in a cleaner cut and less damage to the branch you’re working on. Hand pruners will cut stems and branches up to 1". For branches that are 1"-2", choose a lopper.

 

Unlock the pruner and hold it in your hand. It should fit comfortably. Try it out. Ask to cut something with it. The bottom line is pick a pruner that feels comfortable in your hand, that you can use for a long time and one that makes easy cuts.

You’ll be pleased with the results of having spent the time to find just the right pruner for you.

Felco has been making their classic model #2 for decades, but the #6 may be a better fit if you have small hands. Check the chart.

 For light trimming and deadheading, consider a pair of Garden Cut Pruning Shears. These shears stay sharp over many cuttings. Bonsai shears offer another choice for trimming and shaping. This one is nice because it has a finger loop to increase accuracy and reduce fatigue. Pruning, trimming and deadheading roses and shrubs is a key part of gardening. Having the right tools makers pruning much easier. Disinfect pruners with a Lysol or Clorox disinfectant wipe or dip your pruners in disinfectant solution to reduce risk of spreading disease among roses or bushes. Once you are doing pruning and disinfecting, spray blades with a silicone lubricant, to keep your pruners in top working shape.

Choosing small bulbs with big colors.

Spring flowering bulbs are a great way to add color and variety to your garden. In addition to tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, small bulbs (called minor bulbs) will add bursts of color from late winter through early spring. Minor bulbs are among the very first to bloom and they are available in a wide array of colors and styles. Here are a few of the choices for early minor bulbs.

Galanthus, known as Garden Snowdrop. Galanthus are very early to arrive, often blooming before crocus. Galanthus will do well in sun or partial shade. 

Scillia Siberica will appear soon after Galanthus, with dark blue flowers. Scillia can be planted under trees, because they bloom early, before the tree leafs out.

Puschkinia are very hardy bulbs, flowers are star shaped and striped in blue and white. Also known as striped squill, puschkinia are early blooming and fragrant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Muscari, known as grape hyacinths, are hardy spring bloomers that produce blue or purple flowers that look like bunches of grapes, hence the common name. They will do well in sun or semi-shade and spread naturally.

 

 

 

 

Crocus are easy to grow and offer a wide variety of colors. They prefer sun and well drained soils.

Selection and planting tips. Pick the highest quality bulbs. We get our bulbs directly from Holland, from people we’ve done business with for decades. These bulbs produce larger blooms the first year and they naturalize (multiply and spread) in your garden, more readily. Pick a spot with plenty of sun and amend the soil with Sheep, peat and compost, or peat moss, then add either Bone meal or Dutch bulb food and plant about 2" deep. Scatter 10-15 bulbs per square foot, for a greater color impact. Water every 4-5 weeks during the winter. Leave foliage in place after bloom, to help the bulbs spread and bloom the following spring.