Blog: serious heavy pruning is within the grasp of less-able people!
My garden has grown out of control, mainly due to my health conditions, but there’s one tool that can get it back on track — the STIGA SC100e pruning shears.
My various joint and back problems and hypermobility meant heavy pruning was out of the question. This wonderful tool has enabled me to do these tasks, which haven’t been done for years. Less-able people will recognise this – as your ability to carry out gardening jobs lessens, your anxiety increases. It’s a vicious circle as you watch your garden slipping through your fingers.
You imagine the neighbours/family/friends thinking: “She calls herself a gardening writer and she can’t even keep her own garden in order!” It’s not nice. However, this tool has been a game-changer for me. I’ve been able to start some really serious restorative pruning and removing overgrown plants. I must say, it’s a serious tool, and I only use it when Gary is with me. My balance isn’t the best, and he takes on the high stuff.
Taming overgrown shrubs and letting in the light
Our tall beech and hawthorn hedge has become unreachable on the inside. It’s lined by various overgrown shrubs – Cotinus, Weigela florida variegata and Pyracantha. While I initially thought these shrubs would make life easier but curbing the hedge’s growth, it has become a nightmare. The tall shrubs have meant we can’t reach the top of the hedge above them, even with tall Henchman ladders and extendable loppers. Time for a massive rethink!
Firstly, the Weigela. This is 30 years old and now deeply unfashionable – people don’t like variegation any more. I still think it has its place but the shrub’s form is awful. Time for drastic measures. I decided to cut the main stems to about 4ft tall, thinning them to five stems. The shrub was about 10ft tall!
The STIGA SC100e pruning shears made short work of the thick stems and they’re not too heavy. I’m hypermobile, and my shoulders partially dislocate easily and I can manage this tool. OK, I’ll lose flowers this year but there are no birds’ nest,s and it’s a job we really needed to tackle.
Multi-stemmed shrub created with STIGA SC100e pruning shears
Hopefully, the Weigela will produce new growth from the top of the stems, leading to a nice multi-stemmed shrub that I can trim if needed after flowering next year. I’ve removed so much dead wood too. All this only took half an hour! Remember, if you’re going to do any heavy restorative pruning, you need to feed plants and mulch them. I used a top dressing of Growmore and spent tomato compost.
Next on the list is the hedge itself. I can get into the beech and hawthorn behind the Weigela and it’s in poor shape, being starved of light for so long. There’s a lot of dead wood infested with coral spot which needs removing. Beech is a tough wood to cut but the STIGA SC100e pruning shears cuts through sturdy branches like a knife through butter! Gary, very much a non-gardener, loves it.
Removing an overgrown Korean fir
We all fall prey to bargain plants, particularly online – my bete-noir was a Korean fir (Abies koreana). It was sold to me as a compact tree suitable for a small garden. After a few years, it became very clear that my idea of compact and the nursery’s weren’t the same. It grows to about 10m or more – far too big for our garden. It was in my ‘tropical bed’ and had completely shielded the windmill palm, ornamental rhubarb and hydrangea from view.
Lack of a suitable tool and my ability meant the fir had outgrown the space. However, the STIGA SC100e pruning shears made short work of it. I cut it down to a 4ft trunk, which gave Gary plenty of leverage to get the root out. Now, we can see the lovely, maturing palm.
In the gap, I’ve planted a giant scabious that was elsewhere in the garden. This hardy perennial produces lovely cream scabious-like flowers on 3m stems, but they’re airy, and you can see through them.
STIGA SC100e pruning shears details
The blade opening can be digitally adjusted to reach a 28mm cutting diameter. The 500W brushless motor is driven by a STIGA 20V ePower battery and can perform over 2,000 cuts on one charge.
The ergonomic design is comfortable to use. I suffered no muscle fatigue when I couldn’t have achieved the same result with ordinary loppers. For safety’s sake, there’s a button with an easy lock-off system and standby/lock-off software.
You can digitally adjust the SC 100e kit to three blade opening settings – 15, 20 and 30mm. Its high-quality carbon steel blades are extremely sharp, making clean and precise cuts.
The STIGA ePower 20V batteries can also be shared other lightweight tools (see my review on the STIGA PR100e pruning saw). The “intelligent” battery recognizes the product and sets the appropriate working parameters autonomously. It adapts by optimising the operating range for each product, maximising battery life. A 5-year manufacturer’s warranty is included (T&C’s apply).
For advice on the best product for you, call the Technical Helpline on 0800 669 6326 or your local STIGA dealer. Price £149.99 from STIGA stockists or online at www.stiga.com/uk.
