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Last week, we outlined the importance of late-summer pruning of trees, shrubs, evergreens and perennial plants. But what tools are best for each job? Herein, your answers, from the smallest to the largest pruning jobs:

Hand pruning. Light trimming is best performed using a sharp, quality pair of hand pruners. These are light and useful for removing growth up to one centimetre in diameter, or about the thickness of your baby finger. Make sure your hand pruners are sharpened every time you use them, as well as cleaned and lubricated with general purpose oil.

Loppers are a large version of hand pruners that work on the same scissoring principle, using either bypass or anvil type cutting blades. The main difference is that loppers have long handles — sometimes with extensions that help you reach up to a metre into a tree or shrub to cut out mature, woody stems. The long handles and heavier blades of loppers make cutting green branches up to 2.5 cm, or an inch, in diameter easy.

A pruning saw is different from any saw. Unlike the crosscut and rip saw, a pruning saw cuts on both the fore stroke and back stroke, reducing the work required to do the job by half.

Unlike your camp saw, used for cutting small branches for building a campfire, a pruning saw is designed to cut green wood. You will find the difference striking. And the work of using a good, sharp pruning saw a joy compared to anything else.

Chainsaw. Unless you have been trained on the proper and safe use of a chainsaw, we recommend that you skip this. Removing one of your own limbs is never the idea behind a good pruning job.

There are now some excellent rechargeable, long-handled chainsaws that are light and relatively easy to use. Stihl makes an excellent rechargeable model. After all if the chain is several feet away from you, what can go wrong? A lot — for instance, a limb falling on your head. Which is another reason why signing up for a chainsaw course, as Mark did, is a good idea. Landscape Ontario has an excellent one at horttrades.com/training.

Your pruning equipment does not end with the cutting tool. Other essentials to help ensure a safe, effective job:

If all of this sounds a little obvious, we give you credit for your risk-awareness. Unlike the rest of us, for whom this reminder can be very useful.

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