Keep your garden looking gorgeous this Spring with these pruning tips

Rose Pruning

March is the best time of year to prune bush and shrub roses (not climbers or ramblers, which should have been done in the autumn.) Remove all winter damage and don’t worry about pruning bush roses hard; it will help them produce really good growth and flowers in summer.

By thinning overcrowded growth you’ll be letting in more light and air and avoiding problems with pests and diseases.

Cuts must be clean so use a good pair of SHARP secateurs; you might also need loppers for thicker shoots.

Cut out any shoots that are crossing or rubbing against each other. Always prune to the outward facing bud. The harder you prune, the more vigorous the growth will be.

Other Pruning Jobs

Dogwood, shrubby willows, and ornamental Rubus, grown for their winter coloured stems, should be cut down hard. The reason is that the best stem colour is produced by year-old shoots.

Cut them down to about one or two buds of last year’s growth to leave a stubby framework. Prune late-flowering shrubs, such as Buddleja in the same way to give a better display in the autumn.

Perennials

Cut down all growth left over winter, even if the seed heads are still looking good. You need to get rid of them now to make way for new growth.

You can also feed the soil now with a good general fertiliser.

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