Pruning & Shrub Care

Shrubs and roses pruned at the right time, the right way

Bushes and shrubs need more than the occasional trim. Pruned properly and at the right time of year, they grow stronger, flower better and keep their shape. Pruned at the wrong time, you can lose a whole year of flowers. This is the careful, plant-by-plant work that a hedge trimmer can’t do.

Timing is everything with pruning

Here’s the mistake we see most often: someone tidies all their shrubs in autumn or winter, and come spring half of them don’t flower. The reason is that spring-flowering shrubs like forsythia, philadelphus and weigela set their flower buds on last year’s growth. Cut them back in winter and you’ve cut off this year’s flowers before they open.

The rule is simple once you know it. Shrubs that flower in spring and early summer get pruned straight after they’ve flowered. Shrubs that flower later on this year’s growth, like buddleja and late spiraea, get cut back hard in early spring. Get the timing right and they reward you. We know which is which, so you don’t have to.

Roses

Roses get their main prune in late winter, around February down here in the south, as the growth is just starting to move. Through summer we deadhead them to keep the flowers coming. Climbers are a bit different and are usually tied in and pruned in autumn.

Done regularly, a rose stays healthy, flowers its socks off and doesn’t turn into the tangled, leggy thing roses become when they’re left alone for a few years.

Bringing overgrown shrubs back

A lot of overgrown shrubs can be brought back to a good shape, but it pays to do it gradually. We’ll usually hard-prune over two or three years rather than all at once, so the plant keeps its strength and you’re not left with a bare stump while it recovers. Some respond brilliantly, some are slower, and a few are honestly past saving. We’ll give you a straight answer either way.

Yew hedges shaped around a garden seat — Our work: yew hedges shaped around a garden seat

Communal hedge, cut and cleared — Our work: communal hedge, cut and cleared

More pruning jobs on our Facebook page

Questions people ask

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

When should I prune my shrubs?

It depends when they flower. Spring and early-summer flowering shrubs are pruned straight after flowering. Later-flowering shrubs that bloom on new growth are cut back in early spring. Prune at the wrong time and you can lose a year’s flowers, so we work to each plant’s timing.

When do you prune roses?

The main prune is late winter, usually around February in our part of Surrey, as growth starts to move. We deadhead through summer to keep them flowering, and climbing roses are generally pruned and tied in during autumn.

My shrub didn’t flower this year, what went wrong?

Nine times out of ten it was pruned at the wrong time, with the flower buds cut off over winter. It’s the most common pruning mistake. Get the timing right for that particular shrub and it’ll flower again the following year.

Can you cut back a really overgrown bush?

Usually, yes, but we’ll often do it over two or three years rather than all in one go, so the plant keeps its strength and doesn’t sulk. Some shrubs take hard pruning well, some don’t, and we’ll tell you honestly which yours is.

What’s the difference between pruning and hedge trimming?

Hedge trimming is shearing a hedge to a shape. Pruning is plant-by-plant work with secateurs and loppers, cutting to the right point for the plant’s health and flowering. Shrubs, roses and specimen bushes need pruning, not shearing, to look and grow their best.