Snip Flower Heads Simply and Easily
Reach For The Snips
I bought these Snips with their protective case a few years ago. I like the way they keep their sharpness and the good locking mechanism which keeps the blades closed when you are walking between jobs.
Fiskars Multi-Snip with Sheath
This is the exact tool that I am finding so many uses for, and it includes the handy sheath (not shown), which is necessary to protect the gardener from the sharp blade.
I use it for recycling cardboard, as well as snipping off spent blooms and cutting fresh herbs from my garden.
The included sheath has a handy clip which I attached to my jeans pocket while making the rounds in my garden.
How I Use The Tool
DEADHEADING, YES, AND MORE
They are very light, not meant for pruning, but I love them for cutting herbs like fresh parsley for my chicken soup or to snip some flowers for a vase. In a pinch you could use them for trimming away some wayward grass, but they are actually much better for trimming off spent flowerheads in the procedure known as “deadheading”. This their raison d’etre as far as I’m concerned. Pruning shears ( or as the English call them “secateurs”) are much too bulky for the sometimes tedious task of clipping off individual spent flowers . And yet it is a necessary job – especially for annuals which get the message to stop blooming once their seed production sets in.
- For deadheading
- For cut flowers
- Harvesting herbs
- Removing fruit and vegetables from their stems
- Small, light cutting tasks
The lightweight Fiskars snips are the perfect size for the job, and I happily top off all the old and wilted flowers of tulips, daffodils (which hang on much too long), annuals, and those perennials which look awkward and droopy once their blooms are finished.
Why DeadHeading Is Important
Photo of Candytuft by Chris Penny on Flickr. CC license
Of course it isn’t needed if you are waiting for seed to set, but most of the annuals are planted for the long season show they produce, and a little haircut in July with these snips is just the makeover they need to resume a pretty flowering display.
One of Those Helpful Little Tools
While this tool isn’t the first one you need to buy to get through the growing season, it is a good quality tool that specializes nicely for the smaller snipping jobs. Oh yes, another thing I like them for is to cut the tomatoes and pepper from the plants neatly, instead of tearing things off as I am wont to do.
They really turned out to be a handy little tool. I also use them inside to cut the stems of flower bouquets and to tidy up the houseplants (which I oftentimes let dry out, with the result that there are some sad leaves that are better trimmed away).
Recently I used the serrated edge to rip cardboard for making a permaculture bed. Located on the outside of one blade, this could be used in many ways for garden tasks. Opening mulch bags, fertilizer boxes, cut small twigs…
It Helps Recycle
That is why this little tool began to really stand out. It wasn’t just a handy little specialized snip for cutting off the spent blooms of my flowerbeds. It was a helpful aid in preparing cardboard for suppressing weeds, it was great for harvesting herbs, it started to reveal its usefulness every day that I was using it.
Who Should Buy These?
More Useful Than I Anticipated
As noted, this tool proved very useful for ripping cardboard when I wanted to suppress weeds in the paths between my raised vegetable beds. How else am I finding little tasks made easier?It is August and prime seed gathering time. Now the seed heads are a snap to remove for collection. The small narrow blades are sharp, they accomplish the task at hand.
Who Most Likely Will Be Happy With These Snips?
Highly recommended for those who like to make flower arrangements and for the indoor gardener who has a number of houseplants.
When using snips to dead-head and trim unwanted foliage, a handy caddy will gather it all together for easy dumping into the compost pile.
It is important to remove diseased waste to the trash, and not to the compost; surely don’t leave it on the ground around your plants!
Bucket Tool Organizer is also useful for toting around your snips, pruners, and trowels.
Fiskars
ABOUT THE COMPANY THAT MAKES THE SNIPS
Fiskars is a brand that is widely available, but most importantly it is reliable quality in a garden tool. It doesn’t take very long using something for tasks in the garden before you begin to really appreciate the way it works and how it feels while using it!. I like the cutting tools, but the weeding and digging hand-tools are just as good. They have a nice heft to them and don’t fall apart after a season or two ( this is a continual problem with many inexpensive garden tools).
If you like the snip tool, you will probably like other garden implements like the trowels and weeders.
Get All The Important Garden Gear
If you don’t have your trowels yet, I don’t know how you can garden at all. These are sturdy. And the narrower trowel with the measure markings is used for seeding and planting bulbs. Good solid tools…
Fiskars also makes weeding tools, each one has its best purpose. Everyone needs something to dig out the roots of dandelions and such persistent tap rooted plants. Check further in my hub on Garden Tools For Beginners for many tips, some reviews, and recommended features.
- Basic Garden Tools for Beginners
Just starting out as a new homeowner? Get the garden tools you need. Tips on what tools a newbie gardener should buy. - About Pinching and Deadheading, short description
