Gotta,
I use regaular heldge trimmers, not electric, with about a 16" blade by Fiskers. -Much faster than scissors. -I have a friend who uses a weed wacker and my dad actually mows his down with his lawn tractor -which works okay but I wouldn't recommend! -I also divide the task between fall and spring. It gives me something to do while waiting for things to emerge in the spring!

I use the hedge clipper like the previous poster, much easier on the hands and they work really well for this job especially if they have just been sharpened :o).
Annette

After years of using a scissor, clipper, etc., I now I use a very light weight aluminum hedge clipper that is easy on my hands. I also use it to chop up any prunings that I do earlier in the year.

OK - Thanks, I will try regular hedge trimmers and see how they work. Aftrer I sharpen them, of course.

I use a Black&Decker HedgeHog trimmer for the "final" trim. If I'm pruning for rebloom on perennials, then I use my hand snips and go slowly to prune at leaf junction.

Cameron

I use a small Weed Eater, 6v rechargeable, hand-held grass clipper/hedge trimmer. There is a link below to the tool at WMT, but mine came from another source a few years ago and was less than $20 at that time. The grass clipper and hedge trimmer blades are interchangeable. Both can be used to cut spent perennials. Also comes in handy for trimming around rocks and other fixed objects during the year, when you don't care to drag out the string trimmer and it's lo-o-o-ng
power cord!
Rb

Here is a link that might be useful: Weed Eater combo

Wow, razorback, that looks ideal! I have an electric hedge trimmer and even though it's shorter, it still takes a heavy toll on my hands. Hand-held hedge trimmers wear out my forearms in a quick hurry. This one looks j u s t right! I'm going to Wal Mart tomorrow!

Buy a goat, hehe-- (and get the fertilizer as an added bonus!)

I can't use my mower everywhere because of having some plants I want to leave the foliage on. But if I had a row of peonies, I would set it as high as possible and mow. I mow down my veggie garden with it.

I use the Stihl string trimmer on most, but use manual hedge clippers for some. I may try the chain saw on my grasses next spring.

It just seems you have to use a mix of tools.

A reliable chain saw is useful for cutting down ornamental grasses in the fall.

Battery operated electric hedge trimmer - think its a Black & Decker.
I used a corded one for awhile, but the cord was a pain in the rear, and once I actually nicked the cord with the trimmer... scary!

Does a good job - holds the charge for long enough for a session in the yard, then just recharge the battery pack. Use it to cut down everything in the fall. Just need to be careful around my micro-irrigation stakes and my daylily plant labels. It isn't as good with the leafy plants like siberian iris (although it will cut it down), but does a fine job on anything stemmed, unless the stems are really thick (like 1")

Beth

For deadheading, I still use scissors... wish I could find something that doesn;t put so much strain on my thumb joint...

Electric hedge trimmers really are better suited to a job like this than their corded counterparts. You can actually move around easier. But just a quick bit of advice to northerngirl_mi.....don't be scared if you nick the cord with your trimmer because it won't hurt you...you'll only get electrocuted if you touch the place in the cord where it is nicked while it is plugged in. Just unplug cord and dispose of it. Trust me, I've nicked 2 cords and completely cut through another (just a "pop!" sound and some sparks and the show was over). But right now I'm not on good terms with electric hedge trimmers as I cut into my finger last month. I think I'll keep pulling for my goat idea...it's nice and effortless, and best of all -- No Sharp Blades!!!

How do the other rechargeable trimmers compare to this Walmart one? Do the Black and Decker ones also have the grass trimmer part? I thought that would be useful for finer stemmed perennials. The smaller head on this one looks good for tight spaces.

I have a manual hedge clipper, and as said above, itÂs too hard on my hands/arms (carpal tunnel syndrome). I have to remember to tell the spouse to do it later, when it would be faster if I could just do whenever I see the need. ItÂs also pretty big and hardly precise.

Those battery operated trimmers look handy, I will have to check the local store to see if they have them.

Goats would be good for grass, but I hear they pull plants out by the root and eat them too. Also, they would eat my lavender and clematis and russian sage and other plants that shoudn't be eaten at this time of year. Sheep are supposed to be better because they don't eat down to the roots. Perhaps we can genetically engineer a smart sheep to do this for us automatically.

Going to use the weedwacker this weekend for the peonies. I told my garden buddy and she laughed, thought it was funny at first, but then agreed it's probably a good idea. I'll experiment to see what's easiest.

Hehe, sheep it is then! (I like them better, anyway!)

gg- i love my fiskars too. that's what we use on our sib. iris. For our peonies, we use Florian hand pruners. These 2 plants are about all we cut back in fall- peonies because of needing to discourage botrytis vestiges, and iris because their foliage is too wet in spring to easily cut back. The rest of the arboretum we do in spring. We found this method after many backbreaking years of spring cleanup with its truckloads of detritus.
By waiting til spring, we have found that we have a mere percentage of the plant matter that we had before- because the winter dessicates and often removes the leaves/stems .
best,
Mindy

btw, my favorite garden cutting tools are all made by Florian. lightweight, VERY sharp, very comfortable to grip.

http://www.floriantools.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=florian&Product_Code=HS-K1000&Category_Code=garden_tool_shears

http://www.floriantools.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=florian&Product_Code=HS-K900Z&Category_Code=garden_tool_shears

http://www.floriantools.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=florian&Product_Code=P-451&Category_Code=florian_tools