Starter kits

Fewer tools than the shops suggest, better than the cheapest kit. Each list says why an item is in it and what to look for.

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  Beginner

  Your first tree, or your first year with a nursery plant you want to turn into one.

  12 itemsRoughly £100 to £290, our estimate

  See the kit

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  Intermediate

  You have kept a tree alive for a couple of years and want to shape it properly.

  8 itemsRoughly £80 to £250, our estimate

  See the kit

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  First conifer

  A juniper, pine or larch, whose work is different: wire, deadwood, patience.

  7 itemsRoughly £60 to £180, our estimate

  See the kit