Garden Snips vs Secateurs
You would think that gardening tools would have all the same name pretty much all around the world.
What else would you call a spade ?
Perhaps a trowel may have a few different names, but what about secateurs and garden snips?
Are they the same thing?

Secateurs are sometimes called  pruning shears or hand pruners .

My Toolkit: Felco No8 secateurs 

Secateurs can be bypass style, where the cutting blade passes a curved non-cutting 'anvil.'
Secateurs can also be anvil style where the cutting blade cuts into a 'anvil.'
Good quality secateurs will cut easily, feel comfortable to hold and spare parts are able to be purchased.
Secateurs are used for the  'green' wood on plants cutting easily up to the diameter of a person's fingers.



Garden snips ( bottom of picture) are closer in appearance to scissors, with two cutting blades. Unlike scissors, they have a spring to make repeated cutting of plant material easier.

Garden snips are best used for trimming off spent flowers on plants such as calibroachoa, petunias, and other annuals and perennials. Light trimming of soft 'green' plant material is OK as long as the stems or branches are not too thick. Garden snips don't have the cutting power of secateurs.


Let’s find out more
I'm talking with Tony Mattson, general manager of www.cutabovetools.com.au

PLAY: snips vs secateurs_18th August 2021

Like me, a lot of gardeners would have both types of secateurs-anvil and bypass as well as a pair of snips.
After all, not everything can be pruned with the one tool.


If you have any feedback email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675