Garden Shears

Garden shears are one of the most common tools used for gardening and cultivating. The implement cuts with a scissor like action and is primarily meant for trimming and maintaining the hedges. Garden shears have also found to be suitable for cutting joints. Garden shears are generally made of stainless steel blades and handles are designed to ensure better control and comfortable grip. The handles of a garden shear are generally made of the same material as that of the blade, however they are coated with brightly colored plastic as it lends comfort and ease even in the case of prolonged use.

With the development of hedge trimmers and line trimmers, the use of shears has reduced now days. However the shears are still in use for doing topiary and removing faded foliage in the perennial border. The shears have also proved to be ideal for applications, like a sharp edge on the lawn.

Types of Garden Shears
Different types of garden shears are available in the market, which are designed to work better for different purposes and applications. Selection of a particular garden shear depends on your personal preference and the your requirement. There are three types of garden shears available in market, including -

• Pruning Shear
• Lopping Shear
• Hedge Shear

Pruning Shear
Pruning shears are designed to trim and cut branches up to one-half to three-quarters of an inch in diameter. Using a pruning shear to cut larger branches may risk in poor cut or ruining of the shears. Pruning shears can be further categorized into two types -

• Two blades or cut style of hand shear
• Anvil Cut

The two blades pruning shear works on the principle of scissor action (also called bypass blades). In the anvil type of pruning shear, a sharpened blade cut against a broad, flat plate.

Lopping Shear
Lopping shears are designed to cut branches with diameters more than one-half to three-quarter inches. These shears have long handles and are used with both hands. Ideal for shrub pruning, lobbing pruners are not suitable for trees due to -

• Accuracy of cut
• Maneuverability
• Difficulty in making a clean cut for a large branch

Tree branches with diameters more than three-quarters of an inch, can be cut more easily and accurately by using a hand saw than with loppers.

Hedge Shear
Hedge shears designed with long and flat blades and have relatively shorter handles, one for each hand. Heavy-duty shears with one blade serrated are suitable for difficult jobs.

Garden Shears - Buying Tips
As a gardener, your garden shears will get a lot of usage. Several designs and types of garden shears are available in market and the most important thing while buying a shear is to choose one that is easy to operate and fits your hand well. Do not buy a very heavy garden shear as you may have difficulty while using or operating them. If you have trouble using your garden shears, there may be special equipment available to suit you.

You do not need to buy the most expensive garden shears, especially in the case, you are new to gardening. However be careful to make sure that the one you choose can hold up to fairly thick foliage.