Sustainable Gardening

What is a scraper used for?

For immaculate stone paths

Contents

Modified the 1 September 2025 by Olivier 2 min. Difficulty: Débutant

A scraper is a relatively simple gardening tool in its design: a short or long handle to which is fixed a triangular, sharpened head of hardened steel. A scraper can be used to cut adventives by scraping the soil without turning it over. But it is above all indispensable for maintaining paved areas, paving and other borders. The sides of the scraper serve to slice herbs cleanly, and the points of the tool to slip between slabs and stones for a flawless finish.

The scraper is the ideal tool to remove adventives from a paved garden path

→ Also discover our article on the weeding tools and natural weeding

Difficulty

What is a scraper?

A scraper is a garden tool made up of a handle and a triangular head in forged, sharpened steel. The handle, usually of ash, can be short (Short-handled scraper) for use while crouching, or longer for use standing (Long-handled scraper). The head is always triangular and has well-sharpened edges.

The scraper is the ideal tool for maintaining paving, flagstones and borders without weedkillers (chemical or otherwise). This tool removes moss and weeds that grow between slabs and stones, and also young shoots in flowerbeds. The term “scraper” refers to the fact that one “scrapes” the soil without turning the earth, unlike a hoe for example.

Sometimes sarcloirs are referred to as “scrapers”: these tools consist of a long handle and a rectangular or “goose-foot” head. This sharpened head allows scraping the soil without turning it to eliminate adventive plants.

garden scraper tool

What is a scraper used for?

The scraper is mainly used to maintain pavements and borders. Its cutting blade on three faces cuts adventive plants, while the triangular points can be used to scrape between stones or slabs for a perfect finish. A scraper can therefore be used to :

weed out unwanted plants at wall edges or between stones and slabs
dislodge young weeds precisely that appear in flower beds or planters.

Using it is straightforward: simply scrape flat surfaces with one of the sharp sides of the triangular head, or use the tip for gaps, wall edges, borders or base of a vegetable planter box.