Trimming & Edging with a Billhook Tool

Every garden is full of odd and challenging jobs — plants and places that need just a little extra attention. When you step outdoors to take care of the tasks of trimming, edging, and cutting back, you may find a single tool especially useful: the Billhook, a versatile clearing tool that lets you accomplish a lot without dashing back and forth to the tool shed, as it straps comfortably on your belt.

With the lightweight Billhook, you will feel comfortable cutting back plants, dividing perennials, weeding around delicate areas, and even edging along a brick walk. The sturdy handle is designed to fit your hand in several positions:

1. For light trimming and weeding, hold the tool with the hook down and your thumb resting in the indentation near the bottom of the blade. In this position, you have the most precise control of the tool and the work you are able to do.

The tip of the blade easily uproots weeds around plants without damaging the tiny, tender transplants. It's great in a vegetable garden and in a flower garden, too.

2. Hold the tool with your fingers wrapped around the handle, like a tennis racket, for chopping or cutting. The Billhook is designed to balance nicely in your hand, with just enough weight for effective cuts.

If dividing perennials, the hook and tip of the blade cut easily through roots, without shredding the clumps of roots. The hook of the blade makes clean cuts through a tangled mass of roots. The tip of the blade is designed to help coax roots apart, which will help new transplants adjust quickly to their new planting spots.

3. Turn the tool over and grip with the serrated edge down and the tip pointing up. Using the tool this way, you can bring the saw blade to bear on twiggy plants and heavy grass clumps.

Put the serrated edge to work trimming foliage before digging the plants up, and for cutting back the spent flower stalks of perennial plants. The serrated edge also works well as a trimmer for big tropical plants such as elephant's ears and bananas, too. You can make a neat cut without ripping stems.

One of my favorite ways to use the Billhook is as an edger. Walkways seem to shrink as grass grows in over the edges, but restoring the original edge can be tedious work. The Billhook tip slips easily down through the grass to help you find and cut neatly along the edge of the walk. Flip the Billhook over and use the serrated edge to cut through thick clumps of roots. The job only takes a few minutes when you have the right tool in your hands.