Used for ikebana flower displays, these Kenzan are becoming increasingly popular for western style flower arranging, doing away with foam completely. The brass pins are strong enough for woody material, as well as soft green and grass stems.

Go the whole way with the discipline of the traditional ikebana schools - Ohara, Ikenobo etc, or head off-piste and do your own thing. The spiky bases hold woody and green stalks, in any position you want. Make criss-cross cuts into the bottom of larger twigs, to stick them in more easily. Lower into water in saucers or dishes, and top up daily.

Use the straightener to straighten any bent pins.

• 293g
• 115 x 33mm
• Brass/ Lead
• Made in Japan

1997. Jake goes to Japan as a wannabe sculptor, to investigate the cultural phenomenon of the cherry blossom season, hanami. There he discovers the gardens, and the trees, and vows to learn more.

Back home in England, he trains as a TEFL teacher, meets Keiko, and drags her back to Japan. Year one is spent teaching, year two working at a traditional plant nursey in a rural part of Osaka, learning all about tree training, pruning and rootballing.

Back home again, Jake gets work at Architectural Plants in Sussex, where he is shocked to find people using FOUR LEGGED LADDERS (Can you imagine?) Brother-in-law Haruyasu is enrolled to ship over a couple of tripod ladders (still going strong today) which together with the robust secateurs and topiary clippers Jake insists on using, cause quite a stir.

And so begins the business.

What everyone starts to appreciate is that although these things are all Japanese, they work just as well in western gardens, and on a whole range of plants. Tripod ladders, it turns out, are just as useful for hedge trimming as they are for pine pruning; and of course topiary clippers work just as well on box topiary as they do on azalea karikomi.

You don’t need to grow bonsai to enjoy these tools.