How to use flower scissors
Updated: 22 October 2026
The pair is already on the bench, the spring is pushing the blades apart, and the stem you have just cut is still wet. How to use flower scissors is a short sequence: close the lock, take one clean bite of thin green growth, wipe the sap, and put the blades away dry. That is the handling of a small hand tool, not a ranking of models and not a calendar of which plant to deadhead this week. If you still need to see what this amazon.co.uk set prints for locks and blades, start from the [flower scissors comparison](/hub/garden-tree-and-hedge-shears/flower-scissors).
The pair is already on the bench, the spring is pushing the blades apart, and the stem you have just cut is still wet.
The pair is already on the bench, the spring is pushing the blades apart, and the stem you have just cut is still wet. How to use flower scissors is a short sequence: close the lock, take one clean bite of thin green growth, wipe the sap, and put the blades away dry. That is the handling of a small hand tool, not a ranking of models and not a calendar of which plant to deadhead this week. If you still need to see what this amazon.co.uk set prints for locks and blades, start from the flower scissors comparison.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Lock | Spring | Blade | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  GRÜNTEK GRÜNTEK Colibri flower snips | One-hand safety lock | Spring | Stainless steel, bypass | 7.9 | about £9.98 | View offer |
 Housolution Housolution P02EH901 flower scissors | Not stated | Not stated | Bullets SK5; table says anvil | 8.5 | about £5.99 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Laicky Laicky 3-pack flower snips | Thumb lock and tip cap | Not in the table | Stainless steel, bypass | 8.2 | about £8.49 | View offer |
On this page
Close the lock before the blades leave your hand
Close the catch until the blades stay together before the tool goes into a pocket, a trug, or a drawer. An open spring tries to reopen the blades as soon as your fingers leave the handles. Try a Colibri slider once over an empty pot, with nothing between the edges, so you know which way it travels before a wet stem is in the way. The same reviews say that slider can catch mid-cut, holding a thin stalk or snapping shut early. Medsuo's child warning is another reason to put the tool away. Cut only once the blades will open again on purpose.
Cut a thin green stem in one close
Open the blades only as far as the spring allows, set them on a thin green stem, and close once. Do not saw, and do not take a second bite through a point the first close has already crushed. If the handles spring back and the stem is only nicked, the stalk was too hard or sap has gummed the pivot. Stop when the stem is brown, woody, or will not sever. Forcing the handles twists the pivot and can slip towards your fingers. Keep the snip on soft growth and leave hard wood to secateurs, though a very thin green shoot can still suit the snip if one close severs it. That fork is on flower scissors vs secateurs.
Wipe the sap and oil the pivot
Sap is what gums the blades. Housolution says a little oil and not a damp place, while HOTUT says wipe the sap, rinse, or wipe with alcohol. Wipe the sap while it is soft, dry the steel at once if you rinse, and add a drop of household oil at the pivot rather than along the whole edge. Disinfect after diseased material before a healthy plant, as the RHS cleaning note asks, without naming a snip brand. Do not unscrew the pivot: one UK Colibri review describes a stripped screw, and these steps give no sharpening angle. Store the pair dry with the lock closed, since a stainless line is not a reason to leave them wet.
When the tool should stop
Stop when the snips will not reopen, when the spring has seized, or when one firm squeeze still fails. A wipe and a drop of oil can free gum on the pivot. They will not repair a stripped screw, and they will not make these scissors right for a fruit tree, a hedge, or a large rose prune. One Housolution review describes a knuckle cut, so keep your free hand clear and wear a glove when thorns are in the bunch. The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 expect a product to stay safe in foreseeable use, and these are hand tools, not machinery. Here that means one controlled close on a thin green stem, without stretching. Pass height or a large rose prune to a professional. If the lock will not hold, take that pair out of your pocket.
Common questions
Do I close the lock before the snips go in a pocket?
Yes. Close it, and check that it holds, before the blades go into a pocket or a drawer. Four listings print a lock: a Colibri slider, a Laicky thumb lock, and latches on Medsuo and Wieerda. A MUKLEI review that the closing bands were missing is the case with nothing else to keep the blades shut. If the lock fails and there is no sheath, leave the snips on the bench.
What do I wipe off the blades, and what oil is enough?
Wipe the sap while it is wet, and use a scourer only once it has gummed the steel. The RHS approach is a nylon scourer or wire wool, a water-displacing spray, and oil on the pivot, with gloves on. Guy Barter, reported by Saga, says any household oil will do. A drop at the dry pivot is enough, and cleaning sappy growth more often is advice, not a timetable.
Why do some snips stay shut after a few months?
Sap in the pivot, or a spring that has seized, is why they stay shut. Colibri reviews in this set mention a seized spring and a slider that catches. A drop of household oil can free gum, but it will not mend a failed spring and it is not a reason to wrench the handles apart. If the blades stay shut after that wipe, stop using the pair.
Should I unscrew the pivot to clean them?
Not as a routine. One UK review of a Colibri pair says the screw stripped when it was undone, and forcing a damaged screw will not give you a cleaner pivot. Wipe the sap, dry the steel, and oil the outside of the joint instead. If the snips still will not open, stop. The seller bullets describe a wipe, not a strip-down on the bench.
What if the listing has no sheath?
Carry the snips only when the lock holds, and otherwise keep them off your body. Housolution's bullets mention a little oil and a dry place, not a sheath. A MUKLEI review about missing closing bands shows the same sort of gap, because nothing extra holds the blades. Use a sheath when the listing includes one. A closed lock in a dry drawer is the fallback.
Are stainless blades safe to leave damp?
Leave them dry. A stainless line does not mean the blades can sit wet, and it does not mean the steel cannot rust. Sap and damp gum the edges and can seize the pivot, which is why Housolution says to keep the tool out of a damp place. Dry the steel, add a little household oil at the pivot, and close the lock before the pair goes into a drawer.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are from the stored amazon.co.uk pages dated 21 October 2026.
- RHS — deadheading plants (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- BBC Gardeners' World — how to deadhead flowers (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- Gardens Illustrated — deadheading (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- The English Garden — the best plant snips (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- Country Living UK — secateurs and scissors, 30 April 2024 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
- RHS — how to garden safely (retrieved 21.10.2026)