Easy pruning TAKE SHRUBS IN HAND
Late winter is a key time for pruning late-summer flowering clematis, cornus, ivy, heathers and buddleia
Awander around the garden this month will reveal that plants know spring is on its way, with buds starting to emerge and shoots begining to poke through the soil. This means it’s a good time to prune many trees, shrubs, climbers and perennials. A whole host of plants can be trimmed at this time of year – whether it’s because they’ve been neglected and require rejuvenating completely, old growth wants removing to make way for new, or they simply need a bit of a tidy up.
What to prune now
l Late-summer flowering clematis
Remove the tangle of top growth on viticella and jackmanii clematis. This will prevent young stems from getting caught up. Trace the old stems down to the first set of healthy buds nearest the ground and cut above these buds. l Cornus and rubus To provide next winter’s colourful stems, and to stop plants getting too big, cut cornus to 15-30cm (6-12in) above ground and rubus to just above soil level. l Overgrown ivy To keep ivy within bounds, prune now before new growth starts. Remove wayward shoots to above a set of buds. Old, neglected plants respond well to severe pruning – cut down to the ground leaving a cluster of short stems. l Winter-flowering heathers These will benefit from a trim as the f lowers fade, to stop them becoming leggy and woody. Cut back f lowering stems with shears to create a neat mound of stems with a couple of centimetres of leafy growth. l Evergreens Trim evergreens now, if need be, and cut out completely any reverted shoots (growth that’s a single colour) from variegated plants. l Buddleia Prune last year’s flowering stems to a couple of inches.