The 12 Step Beginners Guide to Pruning

Not all shrubs require pruning but you may want to consider it in order to shape the plant, to encourage vigorous growth, flowering or fruit production or to remove dead, damaged or diseased material.

Here is a beginners guide to pruning:

1. Pruning is best carried out immediately after flowering to ensure a good display the following year but a general pruning in Autumn is also usual particularly for roses
2. Always cut at a downward angle to allow rain to fall away and not sit on the cut
3. Pruning to remove spent flower heads is always a good idea as it stops the plant spending energy producing seed
4. Always use good quality, sharp, clean tools
5. Cut out dead or diseased stems right down to where they reach the roots or main stem
6. Take out any stems that cross over other stems as they will eventually join together and cause injury which can let in disease
7. Take a look at the plant and decide what size and shape you want and bear this is mind throughout the pruning process
8. Take a stem and starting at the tip look along it’s length to where it reaches the base. The “nodes” you see along the length are where either leaves, new stems or flowers will appear; you won’t know in advance which of these it will be
9. By pruning just before a node (i.e. before when looking from the tip to the base) you stimulate a chemical at the node which tells the plant to shoot out from there and produce a flower, leaf or another stem
10. If you prune after a node the chances are that the stem will die back from the end down to the next node and may even continue down the stem
11. To hard prune, count the number of nodes up the stem from the base; you should leave at least two nodes to allow for die-back so pruning just before the third node is usually ideal; this type of pruning produces new growth and reinvigorates the plant
12. For an annual prune when you just want to keep the shrub in shape so you should cut just above the node needed to maintain the shape; this type of pruning usually produces flowers and new leaves the following season

Next you can find out more about pruning specific types of plants:

Evergreens – During May cut out dead, weak or crossing branches and remove extra branches if the shrub is overcrowded. Examples: Camellia, Pieris, Rhododendron -

Early Flowering Deciduous Shrubs – Immediately after flowering cut out dead, weak or crossing branches and remove extra branches if the shrub is overcrowded. Cut back all branches which have flowered this year. Examples: Forsythia, Weigela, Deutzia, Philadelphus

Later Flowering Deciduous Shrubs – During January to March before the new growth appears cut out dead, weak or crossing branches and remove extra branches if the shrub is overcrowded. Cut back all old wood to the ground. Examples: Buddleia, Hypericum, Cornus

Damaged or Diseased Trees – Identify the diseased or damaged branches and cut back to healthy, clean wood.

Clematis

Group 1 – these are small-flowered species which flower in early spring on last season’s growth Immediately after flowering remove dead or damaged stems, and reduce other stems if needed. To renovate an older plant cut back to 15-30cm (6-12in) from the base immediately after flowering

Group 2 – large-flowered, flowering May-June on the previous year’s growth. Some flower again in summer on current season’s growth. Remove dead and damaged stems in early spring before growth begins, trimming all remaining stems to a pair of strong buds. To rejuvenate a mature specimen remove old shoots during spring

Group 3 – flowers late summer on current season’s growth. Cut back all growth to a pair of strong buds 15-20cm (6-8in) above soil level, before growth begins in early spring

Leylandii Hedge

Question:

I have just moved into a new house and there is a 20 foot high leylandii hedge down one whole side of the garden.  The bottom is a bit sparse, and I really want to plant a border in front of it.  Can you please give me any advice about what plants would survive?

Answer:

Leylandii are a nuisance in the garden as they grow very quick and if not kept in check can soon take over a whole garden!

It is extremely difficult to grow anything under a hedge, particularly leylandii as they remove so much moisture from the soil.

I would not advise trying to plant a border under the hedge as the shade and lack of moisture means that not much is likely to grow there successfully.

I would plant up pots to provide colour and interest, just place them under the hedge and keep them well watered.

Try planting a few pots with spring flowering bulbs layering different types to get a succession of flowering e.g. daffodils in the lower layer, followed by tulips, then crocus or iris; anything that takes your fancy will do. Once flowering is over these pots can be moved into a corner out of the way until next spring. Replace them by pots full of summer bedding plants.

For all year background interest you could have your evergreens and grasses; conifers also do well in pots and their size is kept in check.

A good plant for autumn interest is Skimmia, they don’t mind low light and are great in pots. click here to see a selection from Crocus

Questions for April 2008

Question

I am not sure if you can help but I am looking to buy some coprosma evening glow or/and coprosma fire burst so far I have had little luck I have tried googling it but very poor results none of my local garden centres stock it I bought some last year from a local market and would like to get more I really want a fairly well established rather than a small gutting that needs to be grown on do you know of any online nurseries that would sell this also regards dogwood I really like the look of this but again not been able to find it in my garden centres does this come in the form of a shrub or bush has its something I am not familiar with thanks for any help you can provide

Answer

I have to admit to not knowing about Coprosma but I have managed to find a company who sell a few varieties. Click on this link:  http://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pn_id=176. There are several types of Dogwood (Cornus) so I have added a link to a few at Crocus for you to look at.

Question

We have a well established pear tree in our garden. The problem is that is has grown lopsided / horizontally right across the garden, so much so that it is obstructing the garden path. I would like to keep the tree but would like some advice on how to prune it to encourage it to grow upwards rather than outwards.

Answer

It is possible to do what you are asking but it will need to be done in stages as to reduce the stress to the tree. I think the best thing for you to do is to follow RHS advice on this matter so I have included a link below on Apple and pear tree renovation: http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1101/fruit_tree.asp

Question

I have what seems to be three different type of spotted laurels one is dark green in colour the other light green with what seems like the beginning of possibly some flowers the other is the same colour light green the first two were planted around a month ago and around 2 3 ft the last one was planted last summer and has hardly grown at all I did read for these to produce flowers you need a male and female like a holly and I thought they were very quick growers I have seen some has high has well over 20foot round where I live they seem to get bigger every year mine are planted in full sun in a good quality compost any information on this plant would be welcomed thank you. I bought a shrub called a beauty berry in October last year it had a abundance of purple berries which have gradually dropped of I believe it is suppose to have pink flowers in summer but at moment I have just a bare shrub is this normal

Answer

Regarding your laurels; do you know which variety you have? I have detailed three of the more common ones below and as you can see their sizes and flowering requirements do vary. If you can find the actual varieties I can do more research for you.

• Aucuba Japonica Crotonifolia. Evergreen, bushy, dense shrub with stout, green shoots. Large glossy, dark green leaves are heavily mottled yellow. Grows in sun or shade and well drained soil. Height 1.7m Spread 1.7m. Male.
• Aucuba Japonica Rozannie. Very handsome shrub which has large, toothed and leathery green leaves. This all green form is self pollinating and produces large red fruits in winter. Grows in any situation and any soil to about 1m. Male.
• Aucuba Japonica Variegata. Evergreen, bushy, dense shrub grown for its yellow spotted leathery leaves. Height 7 ft. Spread 7 ft. requires any reasonable soil. Will thrive in sun or shade. Plant with crotonifolia for berries. Can be kept as a colourful hedge or as a specimen plant. Female. As regards your Beauty Berry (Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii Profusion). The lovely purple berries will gradually drop off, or get eaten by the birds, before the end of the winter which is normal. It will remain bare until it begins to produce its leaves then small pink flowers around July.

Question

I have got some branches on our pear tree where the buds are not opening – should I cut them back or just leave it?

Answer

If the tree is the right size and shape for you then I’d leave it. However, you may want to read the RHS article below for information on how to prune your tree should you wish. http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1101/fruit_tree.asp

Question

Now that the buds are out on the roses does this mean that I can cut them with an outward facing slope away from a bud at a height of 6 inches from the base now? Can I cut the honeysuckle back to 6 inches as well now?

Answer

I would wait until all risk of frost has passed because if you get a hard frost it can cause the tips of shrubs to die back. This die-back can be trimmed off but if the shrub is at its lowest height you will have nothing left to trim away. You should be OK to do it at the middle of April. You will still get a good display so don’t worry, you’ll be surprised how quickly they will grow from May onwards. You method sounds good but don’t forget to give them a little feed of fertilizer. You can buy one specifically for roses or you can use blood, fish and bone meal which can be used on all your plants. A mulch of well rotted manure around the base will also be good to keep down weeds and help improve the structure of the soil.

Question

Leaves on the hyacinth are going yellow. Can I cut them to the base; remove bulbs from the indoor pot and plant in the garden now? Any thoughts as to where best and how i.e. depth etc to plant them?

Answer

Yes you can cut them back and plant them out in the garden. Here’s a link to my Bulbs page which should help you when planting but the general rule is three times its own depth in a sunny position. http://gardeningregister.co.uk/NonProductPages/Articles/bulbs.htm

Question

I have recently bought some of the pretty flowering heathers you see at this time of year but know little about them I did hear that they need to be planted I the special compost you use for azaleas and rhododendrons also how long do they flower for I am told the ones you see in the garden centres are all forced has I believe they do not flower until early summer do I prune them when they finish flowering and when should I feed them thank you for any advice you can provide

Answer

There are two types of heather so I’ll give you the details for both. The first type is the “Erica” variety. These heathers do prefer acid soil but they will tolerate slightly alkaline soil, either way it needs to be well-drained and placed in a sunny spot. If you don’t know how acidic your soil is then it would be best to plant into pots using Ericaceous compost although it’s not essential. This type of heather flowers January to March and should be trimmed after flowering with shears or secateurs to remove the dead flowers and encourage bushy growth. The second type is “Calluna”. They like full sun and well-drained, humus-rich, acid soil or ericaceous compost. They flower July to November. In March or April cut back the flowered shoots to within 2.5cm (1in) of the old growth.

Question

My husband would like to know are than any certain types of methods used to make top soil more firm? He’s clearing out some land and the soil is too soft to hold weight.

Answer

I’m not entirely certain I understand exactly what the problem is but I think it is one of the following. The top soil may be too “soft” meaning it is not compacted enough. If this is the case then you should be able to carefully tread down the surface by slowly walking around until it is firm. However, the problem may be that the soil is too sandy, meaning that it has no substance and keeps falling apart. The added problem here is that it will also be very poor making it difficult to grow anything. If this is the case then you need to improve the structure by adding lots and lots of well rotted organic matter such as horse or cow manure. This can be bought in bulk or, if you live near a farm or stables, you may get it for free if you agree to collect it. If you have to go this route then it will take some time for the soil to change and become more substantial, perhaps as long as a year. To avoid weeds taking hold while you’re waiting you could grow some green manure which will subsequently be incorporated into the soil, again adding goodness. Here is an article which might help. http://gardeningregister.co.uk/NonProductPages/Articles/soil.htm#Green_manures0

Questions for October 2007

Question:

Please could you tell me whether the fuchsia “Shadow Dancer” is hardy?

Answer:

Your Fuchsia “Shadow Dancer” has a hardiness rating of H3 which means that you need to give it some protection from frost. Either move it into an unheated greenhouse or cover with horticultural fleece when frost is expected.

Question:

I have bought several small cuttings today of Buxus golden dream how big can this grow in height and spread and does it grow all year round should I water and feed it in winter thank you for any advice you can give.

Answer:

Buxus ‘Golden Dream’ is a compact, evergreen shrub with dense foliage. Its colour is most pronounced in full sun, but will it will grow in either full sun or partial shade. This plant can be used for anything from a low growing hedge to a nice, neat, accent in any garden. As with most all boxwoods, it prefers slightly cooler, moist soils with good drainage. A good top dressing of mulch will do wonders to keep the soil conditions favourable. Its height and spread is 3-4 ft and it grows at a moderate rate. Although this is a hardy shrub if the cuttings are particularly small I would keep them in their pots and protect them over this winter, planting them out once the risk of frost has passed next spring. They shouldn’t need any feeding this winter but make sure they don’t dry out. When you plant them out give then a good mulch of well rotted manure.

Questions for August 2007

Question:

I bought a lavender tree lavandula dentata I planted about 6weeks ago it does say its hare had only the odd night of frost but don t expose to prolonged frost we have had only the odd night of frost since I bought it I have noticed today there are one or two brown spikes on it and the rest seem to be drooping I have given it a feed of miracle grow rose and shrub food I am been unduly concerned will it perk up when the weather gets warmer and is there any thing I can specifically do to help it.

Answer:

Unfortunately Lavandula dentate (French Lavender) is not hardy in the UK so should be kept indoors during the winter. You could try bringing it in now, keeping it warm for the next few weeks to see if it perks up. Don’t cut off the brown spikes just yet. If you still have some green growth by the end of April then prune it back before placing outdoors for the summer. Be careful not to prune into any old or brown woody parts of the plant as it will never re-grow from these areas.

Question:

I would like to know if I could put my magnolia in a container as I am moving house and the garden is all slabs, it is around 2 to 3 years old and around 4 foot.

Answer:

My mum has successfully grown her magnolia in a pot for years and it always looks good. I assume it is in the ground at the moment so you will have to carefully lift it ensuring you don’t damage the roots. Make sure it doesn’t dry out before placing it in as large a pot as possible. Put lots of crocks in the bottom to help drainage and add a slow release fertilizer to the soil around the plant. Each year top off the plant with new compost and / or manure to keep the soil well fed. You may find it goes into shock this year but it should be OK by next year’s flowering season. You will find that the plant won’t grow as big as it would if it was in the ground and it may not live as long either.

Question:

I currently live in West Sussex and do hope that you can give me some advice on the Meyers lemon tree that I purchased last year. You see I am new to the way of gardening here in England, as I spent most of my gardening life in the tropical area of South Africa where it never gets really cold. As I have already mentioned I purchased a lemon tree, which I put into a huge pot on my patio, but now I see that during the course of winter it has lost all its leaves and a lot of the tips of the branches have gone brown. I did not place it indoors, as I do not have the strength to be lugging it around – nor did I cover it with anything. My question is do I throw the tree away or do you think it will pick up again in spring.

Answer:

Unfortunately citrus plants will not survive outside during an English winter. However, having said that, if you have not had a hard frost and it’s in a sheltered position then you may get away with it. I wouldn’t give up on it just yet. Buy some horticultural fleece (available from garden centres or the larger DIY stores, cover it for the rest of the winter and make sure it doesn’t get too wet. If it’s survived you should see new leaves appearing when the weather warms up during April/May.

Question:

Can you please tell me any plants besides Aubrietia that you can plant in the top of a walled raised bed to hang over or to plant vertically in the wall?

Answer:

Please find below some suggestions. Most of these are alpines and do require a well drained soil. Cerastium (Snow-in-summer) – colour: white Iberis (Candytuft) – colour: white Linaria (Toadflax) – colour: various – there is an upright version of this too Saponaria (Soapwort) – colour: pink. You could also consider planting a nice coloured, small leaved ivy to trail down and plant some low growing alpines, such as Thrift to add some height. If you don’t mind a bit of work you could consider planting trailing geraniums or other colourful annuals each year.

Question:

Our neighbours have just built an extension, the side wall of which overlooks our back garden. Unfortunately, a variety of bricks have been used and they haven’t been spaced out very well with the result that the wall overlooking our back garden is unsightly and also oppressive. We would like a fast growing plant which would hide the wall. The wall goes up to 310 cm in height. Please could you advise us as to what would be the best plant to hide this wall and which would grow quickly?

Answer:

My ideal would be ivy. There are lots of different varieties giving you a wide selection of leaf sizes and colours which are evergreen. Once established it is extremely fast growing and also has the benefit of being able to climb without support and will grow in any situation. The other is the Montana range of Clematis which again is very fast growing and has the extra benefit of fragrant flowers in the spring. However you will need to erect some sort of support structure such as trellis or wires before planting. A sunny site will give the best results. Which ever plant you choose make sure you don’t plant it too close to the wall as it won’t be able to get as much water as it needs. If you go to my Plant your Garden page http://gardeningregister.co.uk/NonProductPages/Articles/planting.htm.  You will see an advert from Crocus. If you click the Climbers box you will be able to enter some information about the location and features required and receive a number of suggestions back.

Question:

I’ve got a question about holly trees that you might be able to answer for me…! As you know – you need male and female holly for the female plant to produce berries, but do the male and female plant need to be the same variety?? I have a silver queen (male) and a golden king (female) – will I get berries from this??

Answer:

I have double checked and you only need to have one male holly, of any variety, to pollinate several female plants of any variety. Therefore the two you have will do fine; the female plant will produce the berries, not the male. If you’d like more berries you could buy another female variety.

Question:

I am the General Manager of a psychiatric unit in London. We have recently built a secure steel balcony to provide additional outdoor space to one of our first floor wards. The construction is a ‘metal cage’ with a very raw look to it and I would appreciate it if you could give me some ideas on the types of plants we would use to brighten up the area. The balcony is south facing and I would preferably like ones that are easy to manage and stay evergreen so there is colour all year round. Have you any suggestions. The main problem is that for safety reasons we can not use climbing plants as patients could use these to climb up and fall, we can not use plants that have poisonous leaves or berries as patients could eat these and we are unable to use plants that have sharp edges as patients may use these to self harm or ones that attract bees in case of allergic reaction to possible bee stings. In addition, we would require the plants to be in pots that are too heavy for a patient to lift in case they throw them. As you can see from a non-gardeners point of view I am struggling to find the appropriate plants and your assistance and advice would be very welcome.

Answer:

I’ve come up with some ideas and attach an outline of a plan which may be of interest. My first thought was to fit a bench across the left-hand 2.4m section. This could be attached to the balcony and would allow seating for a few people. I have also left room for quite a large table and six chairs. Your idea of galvanized containers screwed into the patio seems a good idea and I’ve found a couple of sites which may be able to provide them. and http://shop.theurbangarden.co.uk/product_select.asp?prtID=49&d=planters. The alternative is to have a raised bed built into the corner which is also attached to the balcony as per my plan. You could have it built as one big “box” or if you had six separate boxes they could be tiered so that the outermost ones are lower than the top ones. This would provide more interest and allow for plants to cascade the corners of each “box”. As for plants. My initial thought is to use Herbs. These are usually soft and are, of course, edible. For added interest I thought a few grasses. I have found a few examples of my thoughts on Crocus.co.uk and have attached a link to their page so you can find out a little more about them. Fennel (especially Bronze which is a lovely colour) these grow to about 1.8m but not very wide so you could fit in quite a few. They are light and move with the wind giving a feeling of movement. I find it best to snip off the flowers to avoid them going to seed and ruining the look. Also, they will die down for the winter but this also means it doesn’t take over. To compliment the colour and movement of the Fennel I thought a few soft grasses would be nice. They tend to give great autumn colour and if left over the winter they provide structure and look nice when frosted. They will have to be cut back to allow the new growth through but it’s not a hard job. Here are a couple of examples. For an evergreen look I think Rosemary would be good. They can grown quite big so may need keeping in check but they are very hardy and don’t require much maintenance. They are usually a rich dark green with lavender/blue flowers during the summer. To compliment the rosemary how about Lavender. There are lots of varieties around but you need to have a good hardy one to see you through the winters. To break-up the front of the containers/bed I suggest planting a few “lesser” periwinkles. These come in white, lilac or purple in lots of different shades. The leaf colours also differ so you could find one you like. The “greater” periwinkles have bigger flowers and grow too big and fast for containers. Just tuck them into the corners of each “box” and let them hang down. They do spread so you may need to pull them up to avoid them taking over the whole container. Finally, I thought the little space near the entrance could do with something. Mint is a great herb but extremely invasive so it is ideal in its own container. There are lots available, such as pineapple mint and apple mint so again you should find some you like. They will die down for the winter but will come back each spring. Regardless of the containers you use you will have to ensure that there is adequate drainage in the bottom. Punch some holes in the base of the containers and lift them slightly off the floor. To help the drainage and keep the weight down fill the bottom of the containers with a good layer of polystyrene which you get in packaging. Use good quality compost and add some vermiculite which will also help keep the weight down but will also aid drainage. I would also add a slow release fertilizer and some water-retaining granules. You won’t be able to use hard mulch so I would top off the planting with a good layer of well-rotted manure. This will help retain moisture, keep weeds down and add goodness to the soil. Each autumn you should add another layer.

Our Plant of the Month for March is Hellebore

Hellebores can flower as early as January and continue on until late April producing lovely nodding, saucer-shaped, flowers in many colours. Their foliage is virtually evergreen, just cut down the old leaves during January or February to show the flowers off to their best. They are very low maintenance and they don’t mind the shade. Most prefer heavy soils with plenty of organic matter added each year.

Hellebores are a favourite of Crocus.co.uk, here’s why they like them: “Low maintenance, virtually evergreen with a long flowering period and tolerant of dry shade, these plants should play an essential part of the winter garden. Mix them with ferns, Anemone blanda or hyacinths to create a naturalised woodland carpet, or pot them up and make a seasonal feature of them on the patio.” Take a look at a selection of Hellebores from Crocus.co.uk, click on the pictures for more information:

Helleborus ‘Picotee’ Harvington Hellebore

Helleborus niger Christmas Rose

Helleborus Collection of Six

Our Plant of the Month for February – Camellia

Camellias are wonderful plants giving amazing splashes of colour on bleak February days. The glossy dark green foliage remains throughout the year to add interest at all times.

This particular camellia has been growing in a container in my North facing garden for about eight years and always rewards me with lots of these deep pink flowers during late Winter and early Spring. The variety is Camellia x Williamsii Debbie.

Camellias are well suited for pots and containers, but they need acid compost, a reasonably large pot and regular watering to thrive. Once the flowers have faded they drop off the plant meaning no dead-heading, making this shrub a practically maintenance free plant.

Below are a selection of Camellia on sale a Crocus.co.uk, click on the pictures for more information: