What is your essential gardening tool after a spade and fork? Hoe, hand trowel or you thinking the same as me…secateurs? Don’t get me wrong, I think all of these are essential really, but if you had to pick just one.

I think I actually use secateurs more than any other tool, especially at this time of year and moving towards all no-dig. Plus…you can just use your hand in replace of a hoe and hand trowel if really necessary.

Finding ones that I have actually loved has been a tricky journey though, trying many that I have bought and others that have been kindly gifted to me over the years. All I want is a smooth clean cut every time, to only have to use one hand and for them to feel good in my hands…long term. Is that a lot to ask?! It’s only early days testing my most recent pair, but I think they are definitely winning so far.

Which ones are they I hear you shout? Well…it is the Gardena Secateurs B/S-M.

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Not only are they comfy to hold and super sharp as you would expect but, I love that they are adjustable. Simply by pushing the orange tab along you can lock/unlock your secateurs, as well as increase the handle width and cutting diameter. In total honesty, I wasn’t sure if this function was just a gimmick that sounds great or if it actually would make a difference. But it definitely does!

I really like the bold colour too which I know has been a controversial topic on Instagram, but they make me smile and losing them hasn’t been a concern, unlike some of my other green coloured tools that are easy to misplace. I’ve had a few face in palm moments recently; why make gardening tools the same colour as grass and plants…ahh!

I have used these secateurs every time I have been playing among my towpath containers in recent months, as well as in my client’s garden and they are still performing like new. Enabling clean cuts, happy plants and happy clients. As I would expect, really. They are definitely my new gardening best friend!

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Price: I was very kindly gifted them by Gardena as part of a paid agreement which you can read about here, but I have just looked online and they are available for £17.49. A great price and certainly value for money! I can definitely think of a few friends and family members who would appreciate these under the Christmas tree….hopefully!

I will keep you posted on how they perform over the coming months and also how easy they are to sharpen.

In the meantime, comment below or on my social channels letting me know what your go to essential gardening tool is right now?