August in the Garden
I’m not going to mention the weather this time… let’s just talk about gardening.
As well as continuing to dead-head and stake perennials, you can get stuck in to some hearty pruning. If you haven’t already tackled your spring and early summer flowering shrubs like flowering current, Forsythia, Philadelphus, Spirea and Weigela, why not dig out the loppers, pruning saw and secateurs and give it a go? Plenty of people are scared of pruning but shrubs are generally pretty hardy and can handle being cut back harder than you might imagine – hence mention of the pruning saw.
Many mature shrubs benefit from a pruning method referred to as 1 in 3, although I often think that 1 in 5 is nearer the mark. This involves removing a few of the thicker old stems at the base of the shrub. This opens up the centre of the shrub and allows more light into the middle prompting new shoots from the base which will go on to flower better in years to come. Begin by identifying the stems you wish to remove then take off some weight by cutting higher up the branch to begin with, with loppers or secateurs. As a guide, I don’t use my secateurs for cutting stems thicker than my little finger. By working down the stem in a gradual way, maybe making a few cuts before getting the saw to work, there’ll be little weight on the branch when you cut it. The bark will be less likely to tear and a nice clean cut heals better and is more disease resistant. This sort of method should be used only every 3-5 years, depending on the shrub. The RHS gardening encyclopaedias give well illustrated good advise on pruning. Local charity shops are good sources of affordable gardening books. Jubilee library has an excellent gardening book section too. Web surfers out there should check out the RHS site - much of it is free content. Another way to lose a few hours of your day is to google images for any given plant, or search on “your chosen plant - pruning”. A word of advice: be sure to have fed the kids or cats before embarking on this task…
If shears for hedge-trimmers are your preferred tools, then now’s also a good time to trim back hedges, evergreen and deciduous. Although, if practical, it’s best to use secateurs on the larger leaved shrubs such as Aucuba or spotted laurel. Shears or hedge trimmers will leave lots of half-leaves that will turn brown and look grotty.
Final tip, it’s really worth investing about a fiver on a little sharpening stone for your secateurs, shears and loppers. They are dead easy to use, will last forever and will make pruning so much more enjoyable.
Happy snipping
Lisa
For an initial consultation call Lisa on 01273 500407 or 07957 751218 or email her at info@lilybud.co.uk
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