Pruning Guides

Quick Answer Prune a plum tree in September, straight after harvest, and never in winter. Plums belong to the Prunus family alongside cherries, and a winter cut leaves the wound open to silver leaf disease and bacterial canker for months in cold, damp weather. Remove dead or crossing wood first, thin any congested growth, and […]

Every year, right around the time the weather turns and clients start ringing me about getting their hedges sorted for summer, I have some version of the same conversation. Someone wants a hedge cut back hard, right now, and I have to explain why we’re either waiting a few weeks or checking very carefully first. […]

Quick Answer Prune most conifers between April and August while they’re actively growing, and only ever cut fresh green growth, never back into old brown wood, since it won’t regenerate. Yew and young Thuja are the main exceptions that can tolerate a hard prune. Always check for nesting birds first, use sharp, sanitised tools, and […]

Quick Answer Sharpen secateurs and shears with a whetstone at a 20 to 25 degree bevel, working only the outer edge. Spades and hoes take a metal file, mower blades come off and go in a vice, never sharpened in place. Clean and oil every tool afterwards, and do a full service each autumn. Sharp […]

Quick Answer Prune apple trees between November and late February while they are dormant. Remove dead, damaged or crossing wood first, shorten this year’s new growth by a quarter, take out any double leaders, then thin congested growth back to an outward facing bud to keep an open goblet shape. Every garden should have at […]

Quick Answer Cut hedges with sharp, clean tools working from the bottom upwards in a sweeping motion, keeping the sides slightly narrower at the top so light reaches the base. Most hedges need trimming twice a year, in spring and late summer, and UK law protects nesting birds, so always check the hedge for nests […]

Quick Answer Lavender usually fails to flower because of too much shade, soil that’s too rich or too wet, or a lack of annual pruning that has let it become woody. Check the season and variety first, then work through sunlight, soil, watering and pruning history. Most causes are fixable within a single growing season. […]

Quick Answer Prune herbaceous perennials in late winter, from January to February, once plants are fully dormant and before new growth begins. Cut ground cover types back to around 5cm, taller perennials to between 6cm and 12cm, and only lightly tidy evergreen herbaceous plants. Leaving the dried stems in place over autumn and winter feeds […]

Quick Answer Prune flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) immediately after flowering finishes, typically late April to May. Never prune in autumn or winter, since this removes next spring’s flower buds. Remove around a fifth to a third of the oldest stems to ground level each year, or cut hard back to 30 to 50cm for a […]

Quick Answer Prune deciduous berberis such as Berberis thunbergii in mid to late winter while dormant, from December to February. Prune evergreen berberis such as Berberis darwinii immediately after flowering, from May to June. Always wear thorn proof gloves and remove dead wood at any time of year. Transform your berberis from an overgrown, tangled […]