We are still living in very strange and worrying times. We are in the still in the grip of a worldwide pandemic with Coronavirus (COVID-19) and lots of countries are in lockdown or partial lockdowns. In the UK we have a partial lockdown with some parts of the country having local lockdowns. This is seeing our way our life severely impacted and is going to take a while to get back to some normality.
Whilst we all should be staying indoors as much as possible (and wearing a face mask when we do go out), those who are lucky enough to have a garden can still make use of it. We are lucky enough to have a garden and the sun has been shining giving us some quite nice days. As with all gardens, especially at this time of year, they all need looking after and during lockdown now would be a great time to tidy up that garden. Not only will it make your garden look nicer, but it will keep your mind active, so boredom isn’t setting it.
Getting out in the garden for at least 2 hours per week is good for better health and wellbeing. It can be great for relieving stress, as it can help release endorphins, and the sunshine is excellent for improving your mood by getting much needed Vitamin D. As well as keeping you active, it can also be very therapeutic, and the fresh air is probably that much fresher without so much traffic on the roads.
We have a lawn surrounded by trees, hedges and plants and Fiskars, best known for their quality orange handled scissors, kindly sent us some pruners and shears to help us tidy up the garden. We have used their scissors in the past (we still have them and are still just as good as the day we got them) and are impressed with the quality of them, so we have high hopes for the shears and pruners.
For those that don’t know, Fiskars are a Finnish company that have been making quality tools and utensils since 1649, everything for your garden, home, school, office and craft.
We have had a lot of rain over the winter and Spring saw the garden starting to come into bloom, and Summer is showing the garden in its full glory. The hedges around the edge of the garden look a bit untidy and we decided to get out in the garden and take advantage of the sunny weather. By that we meant tidying up the garden whilst the kids played in it.
Fiskars had sent us their Solid Hedge Shear (HS21), which are perfect for trimming hedges and bushes. Straight out of the box they look good quality (we would expect nothing less from Fiskars). They are lighter than we expected and only have minimal orange trim as the handles are black rather than the Fiskars iconic orange. Measuring approx. 55cm in length, they are perfect for easily trimming the hedges.
The non-slip grips are very comfortable to hold, and the hardened steel blades make very easy work of cutting through the hedges around our garden.
The Fiskars HS21 Solid Hedge Shear was a delight to use as they are comfortable and very sharp. They are also equipped with shock-absorbing bumpers, helping to reduce any jarring at the end of cuts. It didn’t take too long to get around the garden tidying up the hedges, and if we do say so ourselves, they look rather good.
With a retail price of just £24.99 (available from Amazon here) we think that they are a bargain for the quality.
Next up was the Fiskars Pruner (P32). A pair of pruners is something that everyone with a garden owns and couldn’t be without. The Fiskars P32, like the hedge shears, have black handles, minimal orange trim and are just as lightweight.
The P32 pruners are small size (approx. 20cm in length) with a cutting size of 12mm and fit in our hands perfectly. The soft grip handles make them comfortable to hold and use. Like the shears, they also have solid steel blades.
They also feature a locking mechanism to keep the blades closed which is easily accessible just using your thumb.
These have been excellent for pruning the plants and thin branches without too much effort or causing and pain to the hands by having to pull the handles too hard. At £12.99 they are not going to break the bank but should last for years.
Both the hedge shears and pruner have been excellent and have made light work of tidying up the hedges, bushes and plants in the garden. Now we just have to start on mowing the lawn again and finding space for all the trimmings from the hedges (our brown bin is getting full very fast).
Please note, whilst getting out in the garden and looking after it is something that needs to be done at this time of year (make sure you put on some sunblock when spending time out in the garden), due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) your local tip may have some restrictions, so you may not be able to get rid of your garden waste (check on your local council website to see what your local tip is currently accepting). So please use your brown bin (if you have one). If you don’t have a brown bin, or the council are not currently emptying it, please keep hold of your trimmings and garden waste until the bins are being emptied again or the tips are accepting garden waste again so that you can dispose of it properly.
During lockdown and self-isolation, a spot of gardening is excellent for keeping active and Fiskars have made it more of an easier task for us.
We would have to rate the shears and pruners as 5 out of 5 for their quality, sharpness and ease of use.
Rating: 5/5
For more information, visit www.fiskars.com. Available to buy from B&Q, Homebase and all good DIY and gardening outlets.
