Shrub pruning in Brockham

Plant-by-plant pruning for cottage borders and older shrubs that have outgrown their spot.

Shrub pruning in Brockham is mostly about timing. Older gardens tend to have shrubs that were planted long ago and have been cut back in whichever week someone had a free afternoon. Cut a spring-flowering shrub in autumn and you lose next year’s flowers. Leave a buddleia alone for a few years and it ends up flowering where only the bees can see it.

We prune by hand, one plant at a time, and take every cutting away. If you’ve searched for pruning services near me, a sensible start is a walk round the garden so we can tell you what wants cutting when.

Shrub pruning in Brockham: what to cut when

Late winter is when roses get their main cut. Shrubs that flower on last year’s wood, such as forsythia, philadelphus and weigela, are cut straight after flowering. Late-summer flowerers like buddleia and caryopteris come back hard in early spring. Hydrangeas depend on the type, and mopheads keep their old flower heads until spring as frost cover. It’s a calendar rather than a single visit, which is why our shrub pruning services sit best inside regular maintenance.

Overgrown shrubs on clay and on sand

Clay soil south of the river feeds shrubs well, so laurels, viburnums and old lilacs can get very big. We renovate those over two or three years, taking out about a third of the oldest stems each winter, so the plant doesn’t sulk. On the lighter, sandy soil north of the Mole growth is slower and shrubs dry out faster, so we mulch after pruning to hold moisture in.

Anything with a trunk you can’t get your hand round is tree work. We’ll point you to an arborist.

Pruning in Brockham: your questions

Anything else, just ring. You’ll speak to the people who do the work.

Is it too late to prune my roses?

If they’ve already come into leaf, a light tidy is fine. The main prune belongs in late winter, so leave the hard cutting until then rather than lose this year’s fresh growth.

Can you cut back a shrub that’s taken over the path?

Yes. We’ll cut it back enough to clear the path straight away, then reshape it properly at the right time of year. Sometimes that means a rough first cut now and a careful one later.

Will you leave me a pile of prunings?

Never. Woody prunings, soft growth and leaves all go with us, so there’s nothing for you to bag up or burn.