Shrub pruning in Oxted

Mature shrubs, roses and climbers in Oxted gardens, pruned at the right moment so they keep flowering.

A lot of Oxted gardens are old ones. The town grew quickly after 1884, and many of its bigger houses have gardens that have been planted, added to and left to fill out for generations. Shrub pruning in Oxted is often about bringing those mature plants back into proportion without losing a year of flowers in the process.

We prune shrub by shrub, at the time each one wants. Spring flowerers are cut after they bloom. Late flowerers are cut in early spring. Roses get their main prune around February, with deadheading through summer. All the prunings are bagged and taken away on the day.

A shrub pruning calendar for Oxted greensand

Sandy soil changes the picture a little. A shrub on greensand doesn’t have the reserves of one growing in rich clay, so a very hard prune in one go can leave it sulking for a season, especially if a dry summer follows. We’d rather renovate an overgrown shrub over two or three years, taking out a third of the oldest stems each winter. Forsythia, weigela and philadelphus are cut straight after flowering. Buddleja and late spiraea go hard in early spring. A mulch afterwards helps the soil hold the moisture new growth needs.

Where pruning stops and tree work starts

We don’t climb, fell or do tree surgery of any kind. That line matters in Oxted. The Old Oxted High Street has been a conservation area since 1973, and Station Road West since 1990, and in both, anyone planning to cut or lop a tree must give the council six weeks’ notice. Our shrub pruning services cover shrubs, roses, climbers and wall plants at garden level. If something is properly a tree, we’ll say so and suggest a qualified arborist.

Pruning in Oxted: your questions

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

My shrubs didn’t flower after being cut back. Why?

Most likely they were pruned at the wrong time and the flower buds went with the cuttings. It’s the commonest pruning mistake there is. Get the timing right for that shrub and it will usually flower again the following year.

Can you prune climbers on an old house wall?

Yes, climbing roses, clematis, wisteria and the like, at heights we can reach safely. If the old ties or wires have perished, we’ll point it out so they can be replaced.

Do you take the prunings away?

Always. Everything we cut is bagged and leaves with us, and the beds and paths are swept before we go.

How much does shrub pruning cost?

That depends on how many shrubs there are and how far they’ve grown. After a look round we’ll give you a fixed price with the waste included.