Prudent pruning will bear fruit
Exercise some restraint and be selective with loppers and secateurs this autumn, suggests LOUISE MIDGLEY
THERE are several reasons not to prune certain shrubs and climbers at this time of the year, even though it may be tempting to rush out and curtail their flourishing summer growth. Any pruning carried out in relatively mild weather, as is often experienced in autumn, may stimulate new growth, which will be susceptible to frost damage as autumn turns to winter.
And of course, shrubs that flower in winter or early spring, of which there are many, will have formed their flowering buds during the summer months and will not produce any more if you prune them now.
So even if they look a little untidy, be patient and wait until just after they have flowered next year before cutting them back. The same applies to early flowering clematis such as C. alpina and C. armandii, which are already gearing up for an early spring display.
The top growth of many plants acts as a barrier against severe frosts and will protect buds lower down the stems. This is the case for penstemons, hardy fuchsias, Mexican shrubby salvias, Caryopteris and Perovskia, which will all benefit from being left unpruned until next spring.
Prunus and Malus fruit trees have different pruning requirements. To help differentiate between the two, if the tree produces fruit with stones it belongs to the Prunus family and if it has fruit with pips it belongs to the Malus family.
Avoid pruning any members of the Prunus family in winter as they are prone to catching silver leaf disease through their open wounds when the weather is cold and wet. Keep them healthy by pruning them from late April to the end of July, preferably on a dry, sunny day.
To add a splash of colour to borders, leave Cornus and Salix shrubs unpruned so their jewel-coloured magic wands can be enjoyed through winter. To keep them producing plenty of new, richly coloured stems, give them an annual hard prune at the end of winter/beginning of spring.