THE COASTAL GARDENER:

Like many of you, I spend a lot of time in my garden and a lot of time with my plants. But I’m never far from my two most important garden companions.

Every gardener has a pair of pruning shears, usually two or three. I’m no different. I’ve owned several pairs and models over the years, made by many of the world’s top manufacturers: Felco, Corona, Bahco, Wilkinson, ARS and others are all excellent shears.

I love my Felcos; they are the best pruning shears in the world. But most days when I am in my garden, my Felcos are nowhere to be seen. They are lying quietly out of sight and alone, on a shelf in my garden shed.

Instead, when I head out to the garden, I instinctively take along one of my two gardening friends. I grab one of my pair of Fiskars garden shears. I drop them into my pocket and they’re with me until I’m done. Often, I forget they’re in my pocket and discover them when I’m back inside. Then, quite literally, I toss them back outside.

Currently, I think I have three pairs of these inexpensive tools; two in the garden and one in my glove compartment. Those in my glove compartment are a whole other story, which I will leave for now to be told another day.

I can’t imagine why everyone doesn’t have a pair of Fiskars garden shears, the perfect everyday gardening tool. The two features that make them my best friends are their light weight and weatherproof qualities. These nearly indestructible tools weigh less than 2 1/2 ounces. My Felco No. 7s are more than 10 ounces.

If you garden a lot, you will understand the difference. Of course, they also fit perfectly in my pocket. So do my Felcos, but with those in my pocket I always seem to be walking in right hand circles.

Secondly, these shears never rust, never corrode and I’ve never oiled them or even cleaned them. I leave them lying here and there throughout the garden. Neither rain, sun, water, dirt nor anything else bothers them. I just grab them and go, prune and snip, and then set them down when I’m done, wherever that may be. Try that with a pair of Felcos, Coronas or Bahcos.

Fiskars garden shears are not for pruning heavy branches, but are perfect for deadheading, clipping fruits, removing leaves, shaping perennials and so on. When I need to prune larger trees and shrubs, I go get my Felcos; but for everyday gardening these are my first best friend.

My other best friend is the nozzle on the end of my hose. I am constantly amazed at how useless most hose nozzles are. Stroll down the aisle of any hardware store or garden shop and you will find dozens of nozzles supposedly designed to water plants.

These nozzles are growing more complex every year, making amazing claims that easily fool most novice gardeners. It seems as if a room of engineers and marketing experts, none of whom have ever watered a plant, have teamed to produce these nearly useless devices.

These non-gardeners have evolved the almost worthless pistol nozzle into an exotic engineering gadget with 10 adjustable spray patterns, trigger nozzles, ergonomic handles, cushion grips, long wands, quick-couplers and more. NASA and MIT couldn’t have done more. But put one of these devices on the end of a hose and try to water a plant. Impossible.

My favorite nozzle is a simple little thing called a Redhead. Made by Dramm USA, this small, simple and lightweight nozzle isn’t always easy to find but is simply the best there is. I put a shutoff valve on the hose first and then screw this on top, and I’m ready to go.

Be careful. Don’t confuse the Redhead nozzle with the similar-looking nozzle that comes on watering wands. The Redhead has 1,000 tiny little holes in it to disperse the water. The version that comes attached to water wands has only 400 holes, and that makes all the difference. The water going through a Redhead is dispersed into an incredibly soft spray, without reducing the flow. In other words, lots of water, but without beating the plants. I wouldn’t water with anything else.

I have to go now; my friends are waiting for me in the garden.

QUESTION:

Is there an organic control for the little worms that are eating holes in the leaves of my roses?

ANSWER:

The pest you’re describing is a sawfly, probably our most common summer rose pest. If it is only a few leaves on one or two roses, you may be able to find the little guys on the underside of the leaves and just knock them off. Otherwise, Spinosad is definitely your best solution. This is an organic insecticide derived from a naturally occurring bacterium that was discovered only a couple of decades ago and is now used worldwide. It controls the sawfly larvae very well, with little or no effect on beneficial insects or our groundwater.

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail stumpthegardener@rogersgardens.com, or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.

RON VANDERHOFF is the nursery manager at Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar.