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To prune or not to prune
by Hannah Stephenson
Pruning is a fear for many novice gardeners - when to do it, how much to trim off and the risk of either losing this season's flowers or losing the plant completely.
Many use their secateurs cautiously, snipping off bits here and there, but you must remember that shrubs and trees will produce more flowers, fruit and vigour if you do the job properly. And most deciduous shrubs can be left for a couple of years until they reach their full size, apart from removing weak, damaged or diseased branches.
So, which plants do you need to prune in spring?
Most faster-growing deciduous trees and shrubs which flower from early summer should be pruned in early spring, before growth starts. These include buddleia, potentilla and fuchsia. Other plants which should be pruned now include hydrangeas, mid-summer and later-flowering (hybrid, large-flowered) clematis, climbing roses and modern rose bushes.
Shrubs such as buddleia, lavatera and potentilla can be pruned hard, before growth starts. Cut back old wood hard to a low bud, to encourage new growth which will bear flowers in the same year.
Treat shrubs grown for their coloured bark, such as dogwood (Cornus alba) in the same way, to promote fresh young shoots with the brightest hues.
Large-flowered hybrid clematis bloom on new shoots and should be cut right back to a pair of fresh green buds about 30cm (1ft) above the ground in early spring.
It's a good idea to write specific pruning instructions on the label with the plant's name, for easy reference. You can also using prunings from shrubs such as buddleia for plant stakes of all sizes, which look more natural than canes.
Don't prune anything now which flowers in spring and early summer, such as forsythia, kerria, weigela and philadelphus, or you will lose this year's flowers. The flowers are produced on shoots which developed during the previous growing season, so these flowering shoots should be cut back as soon as flowering has finished, to allow new shoots to form.
You should have left the flowerheads on hydrangeas over the cooler months to add winter interest and provide the plant with some protection, but now's the time to give them a late deadheading, snipping off the top of stems carrying the old flowers, taking them back to above the top healthy green bud. Don't prune them too hard or at other times of the year, or they won't flower.
Vigorous growers such as the climbing hydrangea (H. petiolaris) may have to be cut back with shears directly after flowering to keep them in check.
Most evergreens, including conifers, only need a summer shape-up with shears if necessary (or in spring, if they are summer-flowering. Slow-growing shrubs such as hibiscus and azaleas need little pruning.
Of course, as with all shrubs, you may find the odd branch which sticks out, which you can shorten to tidy up the shrub at any time of the year.
If you inherit a garden with overgrown shrubs, cut out a third of the oldest stems in winter or spring, feed and mulch well, and continue the process for three years until all the old stems have been replaced.
They should be as good as new within a few seasons.
BEST OF THE BUNCH - Bergenia
Often known as elephant's ears because of the shape of its thick, leathery leaves, the bergenia is a terrific ground cover plant for the front of a border, or under shrubs and trees. It spreads quickly when given the right conditions - well-drained soil in sun or partial shade - and provides colour for much of the year.
The flowers come in shades of pink, mauve or red, but you'll get more for your money if you choose a variety whose leaves take on red, purple or bronze hues in cold weather, like Bergenia 'Sunningdale', which has pink flowers and purple-bronze leaves, or B. cordata 'Purpurea', with its deep red flowers and red leaves.
Bergenia need to be grown in big groups to give the desired effect, as a carpet under large shrubs or trees.
GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT - Broad beans
Broad beans (Vicia faba) can be so bland and disappointing from the shops, that it's much better to have a go yourself with some tasty varieties such as 'Red Epicure'.
There are two main types - Longpods, used for autumn sowings, and Windsors, for spring sowing, which provide more flavour. I know it's a bit early, but if you have a greenhouse or coldframe, you can make the first sowing of broad beans, one bean per 7cm pot, now and then plant them out after hardening off in April.
For those who want to wait until it warms up a bit before sowing outside, sowings can be made outdoors in early spring and cloched, sowing singly at about three or four to the foot and finger-deep in blocks, or in double rows with plants 20cm apart each way. Sow more than you need at the end of each row, then you have extras to fill any gaps.
April is the last chance to sow spring-sown beans. Before sowing or planting out, rake in a general fertiliser such as growmore.
Pinch out the tips of each stem once the beans have started to flower, which prevents black aphid attacks and makes pods swell sooner and larger, and hoe regularly to keep weeds at bay when the plants are small.
The pods of Windsors contain round beans - both green and white varieties are available. Good varieties include 'Green Windsor', renowned for its flavour.
THREE WAYS TO... Choose the right plant
1. Pick a variety which will not ultimately outgrow its space. Fill the gap with bedding plants to cover up spare earth while it is still growing.
2. When buying from a garden centre or nursery, avoid sickly or spindly plants and those with weeds and moss sprouting from the top of the pot, which is a sign of poor maintenance. Also check that the roots aren't sticking out of the bottom of the pot, which may indicate the plant should have been potted on long ago.
3. If you are buying mail-order plants, find out if the company is producing its own stock or is just a business buying from elsewhere, which can be more unreliable.
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK
:: Trim back winter-flowering heathers when the flowers have faded.
:: Prune winter jasmine after flowering, shortening long old shoots to encourage new growth from lower down the plant.
:: Clip wall-trained ivy, pulling it back from windows and gutters.
:: Continue to dig over borders and vegetable crops if you haven't yet done so.
:: Sow seed of slow-maturing summer bedding such as verbenas, pelargoniums and begonias, in heated propagators in the greenhouse.
:: Improve drainage on heavy, wet soils by adding generous amounts of gravel or grit. Also add garden compost or well-rotted manure to the top layer.
:: Clean grime and algae from patios and steps with a pressure washer, or scrub with a stiff broom.
:: Take cuttings from conifers.
:: Cover soil needed for early sowings with cloches to warm it up.
:: Move shrubs which have outgrown their space while still dormant.
DON'T MISS
Muncaster Gardens, Ravenglass, Cumbria: This is great fun for all the family - and if it's wet, head for the indoor MeadowVole Maze, to discover what it's like to be a meadow vole. For details phone 01229 717 614 or go to www.muncaster.co.uk
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Weather for Bedford
Sunday 27 May 2012
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