A high-quality gardening knife is an essential for a wide range of outdoor tasks, from trimming stems and snipping fruit to lifting bark.
Often designed to be folded in half, they’re usually smaller and more convenient to store than a pair of secateurs or larger saw. So, they’re a useful tool to keep in your pocket as you go about your gardening jobs.
Here's how to choose a gardening knife
We’ve rounded up 10 of the best gardening knives on the market to help you make your decision. If you need help with pruning tools more generally, here's our guide to the best pruning tools.
How to choose a gardening knife
If you want your blade to stand the test of time, you’ll need to check your chosen product is made with durable materials and suits your requirements. Gardening knives come in all shapes and sizes, so don’t rush to buy the first one you see.
Most importantly, ask yourself how you'll be mainly using your gardening knife, and then consider the following factors when browsing individual products:
- Is it made from long-lasting, sustainable and rust-resistant materials?
- Does it have an ergonomic handle?
- Are there any safety settings, e.g. locking positions?
- Is it suitable for left-handed use, if applicable?
- Are there any accompanying accessories, e.g. carry case or knife sharpener?
Best gardening knives for pruning and weeding
Taylors Eye Witness Pruner
Best for pruning and durability
- Buy now from Farrar & Tanner (£25.00)
A rugged and hardwearing folding knife handmade in Sheffield by skilled craftsmen. The stainless steel blade achieves sharp, clean cuts and folds into a strong plastic handle.
A robust and dependable knife to keep close at hand while gardening.
Draper Budding Knife
Best for style and portability
- Buy now from FFX (£7.75), Amazon (£9.55)
Attractive oak handled budding knife with an 80mm stainless steel blade and D-ring for hanging onto your keys or a hook.
Opinel No.8 Garden Knife
A trusty grafting and budding tool for your garden.
Best for style and ergonomic grip
- Buy now from Farrar & Tanner (£11.00)
For classic design and great ergonomics, go for the Opinel No.8 Garden Knife. It has a varnished beech handle and an 8.5cm pointed blade constructed from Sandvik 12C27 modified stainless steel. Use it for cutting stems, snipping twine and pruning.
See our guide for more ergonomic garden tools.
Spear & Jackson Kew Gardens Planting and Weeding Knife
Best for planting
This garden knife is ideal for weeding and planting small bulbs, with a serrated edge for efficient cuts through roots, a pronged blade for weed removal and a graduated blade for easier measuring when planting. There's also a notch for cutting twine.
In summary, a handy multipurpose knife that makes weeding an easy task.
Hori Hori tool
Best for uprooting plants
Lightweight but incredibly strong and durable, the Japanese hori hori tool is an essential for any avid gardener. With its straight blade, you can easily dig and uproot plants.
This one comes with a belt sheath, but it also has a black handle with a slat opening, so it's easy to store from a hook too.
Find more high-quality hori hori knives in our guide to the best designs.
Felco Victorinox General Purpose Knife
Best for versatility
This general purpose knife from Felco has the classic Swiss stamp of quality on it and can be used for a wide variety of different tasks, indoors and out. It comes with a tough nylon handle and an 8.5cm-long blade constructed from high-carbon steel.
In short, this knife is a great choice if you're after a compact, lightweight tool you can easily tuck away in your pocket.
Victorinox Floral Knife
Best for cutting flowers
This green pocket knife is perfect for light cutting and trimming jobs, and it would be a bright addition to any gardening tool kit.
It's designed with Swiss precision, and would make a lovely gift to any budding horticulturist; you can add a personalised laser engraving for £3.99.
National Trust Burgon & Ball Patio Weeding Knife
Best for de-weeding patios
- Buy now from Farrar & Tanner (£12.00)
For this gardening knife, Burgon & Ball collaborated with the National Trust. The handy weeding tool has a sleek, dark handle made from FSC-certified hardwood and a strong, leather cord for easy hanging.
The slanted tip of the knife is ideal for scraping weeds out of the gaps between paving slabs, so you can return your patio to its former glory in no time.
Niwaki Moku Folding Knife
Best for woodworking and easy grip
- Buy now from Niwaki (£59.00)
Here's a beautifully designed knife made with Aogami #2 Blue Paper steel. It's designed for use in a multitude of tasks, from gardening to woodworking and crafts, and it's fitted with a single bevel, which provides brilliant precision.
Plus, the plywood handle is easy to grip and the blade folds away for easy storage.
Darlac Budding and Pruning Knife
Best for multi-tasking
- Buy now from Gates Garden Centre (£16.99)
If you have lots of trees in your garden, this knife could come in handy, allowing you to complete multiple jobs with just one tool. It comes with a classic curved budding blade and a straight grafting knife featuring a bark lifter.
The blades are made from high-quality stainless steel and the whole tool weighs just 101g, so it’s easy and convenient to transport.
Burgon & Ball Sophie Conran Pocket Knife
Best slimline pocket knife for easy storage and portability
If you want to save space in your toolbox, Sophie Conran’s ultra-slimline pocket knife for Burgon & Ball would be a great choice. It's made with stainless steel and fitted with solid brass rivets, and the curved blade should allow for quick, one-motion cuts.