One of our customers from the United States told us that she regularly uses a hori hori knife. I don't know anyone here in the UK who uses one, but I thought I'd like to try it. So after a little research I found a British company that imports them from Japan.
The hori hori is a Japanese weeding knife used for digging and cutting. The blade is sharp on both edges with one edge serrated for cutting through roots. One side of the knife is slightly concave, like a sort of flattish narrow trowel and other side is marked with centimetre measures.
It's quite a long knife, about 30cm, with a sturdy plastic handle. It comes in a smart sheath that you can attach to your belt.
It's great to use and quite a different experience from any of our usual tools. It is so brilliantly multi-functional - this one tool can dig, cut, weed, transplant, split perennials, plant bulbs and even substitute for a small axe.
You only need your secateurs and a hori hori and you're ready for anything in the garden.