MARCH pruning guide

It’s not too late to cut back or shape some plants – but others may have to wait …

clematis

Prune late summer- and autumn-flowering varieties back to the lowest pair of buds, around

30cm from the base.

Roses

Cut back hybrid tea roses to 1015cm from the base. Shrub roses can be reduced by a third. Remove diseased, dead and crossing stems and cut to an outward-facing bud.

Non-evergreen shrubs

Now is the last chance to finish pruning deciduous trees and shrubs. Wait until summer to prune cherries (prunus species) as these can be susceptible to silver-leaf disease if pruned too early.

Late summer flowering shrubs

Prune shrubs that flowered late summer such as hydrangea paniculata, caryopteris, ceratostigma or buddleja.

The exception is mophead hydrangeas, which should be deadheaded to a pair of buds.