Spring into action
As gardens awake, now’s the time for pruning
April is one of the busiest months in the garden as everything starts to explode into growth, foliage and flower. There’s a burst of energy as the ground warms up and light levels increase. As we approach Easter, the sound of mowers, strimmers and hedge trimmers fill the suburbs and birds flit by creating their nests.
I’ve also been industrious in my plot wrestling the garden back into shape. My first job was to rejuvenate several large topiary box balls. They have simply become too big and are blocking out light. They are also looking a bit sparse in places so it was time to prune them back very hard. It’s OK to do this with Buxus – you can cut right back to around a foot off the ground if necessary and it will bounce back.
Mulch around newly clipped box with a well-rotted manure – it has surface roots which will absorb available nutrients.
The stronger the plant, the more able it is to fight the dreaded box blight. There are also good Buxus feeds available which will give the plant a boost.
Penstemon can be pruned back now. They will be looking very straggly so can be cut back quite hard to their bases. I’m thinking about getting other varieties as well such as the delightful ‘Heavenly Blue’ as they start flowering in May and are still going by the end of October.
Other perennials and grasses that you didn’t get round to cutting back should be done now before new growth starts – otherwise it’s trickier to do without damaging fresh new shoots. Pruning in general can
strike fear into gardeners. The handy rule of thumb for flowering shrubs is “if it flowers before June, don’t prune”. This is because these shrubs are flowering on last year’s wood so if you prune now, you’ll lose the flowers.
Many shrubs that flower after June, for example buddleja, do so on fresh growth, so prune now and you will encourage plenty of fresh stems which will flower later this summer
With hydrangeas such as the mophead ones, just cut off the old flowerheads now, preferably making your pruning cut just above a pair of buds. If the shrub is getting too big or needs a new lease of life, you can renovate it by cutting away the oldest shoots completely – do this to about a third of the stems – and next year do it again to another third of the stems.
With Hydrangea paniculata, such as popular two-toned Vanilla Fraise and Pinky Winky varieties, you can prune back much of last year’s growth to one or two pairs of buds above the old framework.
Daffodils are starting to fade as tulips come to the fore. Deadhead daffodils to tidy them up but leave the rest of the foliage to die back naturally. The same rationale applies to most bulbs – they need to keep photosynthesizing after flowering to replenish for next year.
It’s also an excellent time of the year to increase your perennial stock. This might be by dividing existing plants, but you’re best leaving anything that is already flowering until autumn time.
We are so lucky in these islands with our temperate climate that allows us to grow delicate, frothy, beautiful herbaceous plants. We also have a huge variety to choose from, plus superb growers and nurseries across the UK.
Let’s get gardening!
The rule is, if it flowers before June, don’t prune that plant in the spring