The Perfect Rosebush Trimmer

Anyone who grows roses or other small shrubs knows that you have to trim them.The best time in my area is in the fall, but sometimes I still have roses blooming on my one lonely rose bush when the snow starts to fall, so I often end up cutting them back in the spring.

In 1993, when I was happily growing a herd of rose bushes in Nevada, I bought a trimmer from Jackson & Perkins, the rose people. I thought at the time that the price was a little high, but they had a quality guarantee, and I've almost always been satisfied with Jackson and Perkins. This little trimmer is on its 15th year, and it's still great. I've never even had to have it sharpened.

The red plastic handles are soft, and make it easy to grip and to cut. I have arthritis in both hands, so that's really important to me. The blades are sharp, so cutting is easy, but the trimmer has a convenient locking device so I don't have to worry about accidentally cutting myself, or any small child who might pick them up hurting himself.

The best thing is the durability of this trimmer. It works as well today as it did 15 years ago, although I admit it isn't quite as pretty. I more than got my money's worth from this, and it just confirms to me that you really can't go wrong with a company like Jackson and Perkins.