SPOTLIGHT ON... winter pruning

As the gardening season draws to a close, it’s easy to spot areas that are out of control. A mature garden gradually gets choked by trees, shrubs and climbers that have outgrown their space, while perennials spread and self–seeders pop up uninvited. Winter is a great time to sort it all out. Without all the regular routine weeding, mowing and clipping, there’s time to spare. What’s more, you can see what you’re doing since the garden has died down or shed its leaves.

Choose a fine weekend and wade in with your oldest and grubbiest gardening clothes.

Secateurs are fine for a lot of general tidying up. However for tough, thick or hard-to-reach stems, use long-handled loppers. If you’re buying a pair, choose telescopic handles that open out to about three feet, thus extending your reach.

For truly out-of-reach branches you need a long-handled pruner – invaluable for reaching tall shoots and small branches. Some models have a saw blade attachment that can be fitted in place of the usual secateur blades, but they aren’t so easy to use.

If a lot of sawing is to be done it’s much easier with a proper pruning saw and a ladder. You’ll feel far safer using what’s known as an orchard ladder – the sort with three legs. This is great for situations where there’s nothing to lean a normal ladder against.

If overgrown hedges are the problem, the safest solution is to invest in a hedge-clipping platform. This allows you to stand on a strong, level surface at just the right height to cut tall hedges without stretching.