My medium-duty bonsai thinning shears from Joshua Roth (model #133) are the best all-around snipping shears I’ve ever used and might be the most-loved and most-used gardening tool that I own, which you can tell just by looking at them. Tougher than they appear and seemingly everlasting, they take well to repeated sharpening and frequent use. These shears are great for bonsai maintenance, deadheading, or meticulous tidying of smaller twigs and branches, and they’re especially handy in my rose garden. They make clean, healthy cuts, and their narrow, pointed, 2-inch cutting blades allow them to be used in the tightest of spaces. They’re riveted rather than welded, which makes them extra durable, and they have spring-loaded handles that are contained with a rubber locking clip. Measuring 7½ inches from top to bottom, they’re absolutely the perfect size for holsters, back pockets, and the palm of your hand.

—Fionuala Campion

Source: bonsaiofbrooklyn.com

Price: $20.95