Pruning: controlling vigorous plants
With gardens full of growth, it’s time to get vigorous plants such as wisteria under control and in shape
Our borders are bursting with colour from early and late-summer perennials together this month, along with roses, bedding plants and many shrubs in full swing. Berries and fruits are beginning to colour up, too. The most vigorous growth tends to happen in the early part of the summer, so by now the sap flow will have slowed down and pruning cuts made to restrict the size or shape of a shrub will be less likely to bleed. So, with the garden full of exuberant growth, this month’s pruning tasks are about controlling the more enthusiastic growers in the garden.
Some self-seeders will need deadheading quickly to stop them filling the garden with their offspring next season. Unruly shoots of trees and shrubs can also be trimmed back, and it’s time to spur prune wisteria to ensure the development of flowering wood for next year.
This is also the month to prune plums and cherries to avoid any chance of the deadly silver leaf fungal disease infecting these trees. If July is dry, be aware of how stressed a woody plant can be after pruning, so give it a good soak to help it recover.