Shrub pruning in Crawley Down

Flowering shrubs and roses pruned at the right moment for each plant, not all at once.

Shrub pruning in Crawley Down is mostly about timing. The commonest mistake we see is the big autumn tidy, where everything gets cut back on the same afternoon. The forsythia and philadelphus lose the buds they set over summer, and come spring the owner wonders where the flowers went. It’s easy to put right, but it takes a year.

So we prune plant by plant. Spring flowerers get done straight after they bloom, late summer flowerers in early spring, roses in late winter. Every cutting goes away with us, and the garden starts flowering properly again. If something’s past its best, we’ll say so.

Pruning mature shrubs in the older village gardens

Older gardens often hold shrubs that have been there longer than the people who own them: lilacs, old roses, viburnums gone leggy and bare at the base. Round the centre of the village, by Station Road and Bowers Place, the council even counts the mature trees and hedges as part of the area’s character. Old shrubs like these usually respond well to a careful renovation. We take out about a third of the oldest stems each year for three years, so the shrub stays full while new growth comes through from the bottom.

Hedge and shrub pruning on newer plots

On the newer homes off Turners Hill Road the problem tends to be the opposite. Developers often plant fast shrubs close together so a garden looks finished on handover day. Five years later they’re touching, shading each other out and leaning across the path. Some need thinning, some would do better moved, and one or two usually need taking out altogether. We’ll show you which is which before we touch anything, and we’ll keep the ones worth keeping in shape from then on.

Pruning in Crawley Down: your questions

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

When should I prune my roses?

Towards the end of winter, usually February, when the buds are just beginning to fatten. Deadheading through summer keeps the flowers coming. Climbers and ramblers get their main tidy and tie-in during autumn.

Do garden pruning services near me cover big trees as well?

Not ours. We’re gardeners, not tree surgeons, so we prune shrubs, roses, climbers and hedges. If a job needs someone working up a large tree, we’ll tell you so you can get the right people in.

Can an overgrown shrub be saved?

Most can. Laurel, lilac, philadelphus and plenty of others take hard pruning well if it’s spread over two or three years. A few, like lavender and most conifers, won’t regrow from old wood. We’ll give you a straight answer when we see it.