With the arrival of spring, many home owners are beginning to take a look at the foliage which provides such a beautiful complement to their lawns and gardens with a little bit of trimming in mind. Proper pruning means that not only will your trees, shrubs, and bushes look nicer, but they will be able to grow in a more efficient matter and produce optimally as well.

Many novice gardeners think that just one or two tools will be sufficient to carry out all the pruning challenge that their yards pose. This is far from the case, however. Every plant in your yard is unique, and what is more, each type of plant will require a different set of pruning tools. We will take a brief look at which types of tools might be best for you, based on your pruning task.

Trees

One of the first pieces of foliage that you will want to prune in your yard once the weather starts to warm up a little are your trees. Whether you have producing fruit trees or just ornamental trees, they will probably need pruning every spring (many gardeners will argue that trees should be pruned at the end of summer as well).

Trees offer the biggest challenge insofar as various pieces of equipment are concerned. For trees that are still in infancy, pruning snips such as those used for your garden shrubs will probably be sufficient. When it comes to mature trees, on the other hand, your tools will have to pack a lot more punch. Long handles on snips, as well as thicker, bigger blades, provide the leverage and the reach you need for older trees. Depending on how recently the tree has been pruned, you may find you need a saw (chain or hand held) for really thick branches. And, of course, you’ll need a ladder!

Shrubs

Next, take a look at your shrubs. The equipment for this task is fairly simple – in most cases, a small pair of pruning snips will do. A simple squeeze and the excess branches are off! You might spend a lot of time kneeling when pruning your shrubs, so think about a kneeling pad or other comfort-providing devices.

Hedges

Hedges provide the most challenge when it comes to yard foliage. There are lots of branches, and you have to maintain the overall appearance of the hedge. This usually means a lot of small cuts all over the hedge. Your tool should have a lot of small "teeth"; many gardeners recommend gas powered trimmers in order to save wear on your arms (gas powered is ideal; electric cords tend to get in the way).