Pruning puts many gardeners off because it is easy to cut at the wrong time and lose a year of flowers. The key is knowing whether a shrub flowers on this year's growth or last year's. This guide gives you a reliable method for most common garden shrubs.
Step by step
Identify the shrub and when it flowers
Find the plant's name from a label, a plant app or a local garden centre. Note whether it flowers in spring or early summer, or in late summer and autumn, as this decides when to prune.
Choose the right time
As a general rule, prune shrubs that flower in spring or early summer straight after flowering, because they bloom on stems made the previous year. Prune shrubs that flower later in summer in late winter or early spring, because they bloom on new growth.
Check for nesting birds
Before cutting, look carefully through the shrub for active nests, especially from spring to late summer. If you find one, wait until the young have fledged.
Remove the three Ds first
Cut out any dead, damaged or diseased stems back to healthy wood. This alone often improves the shape and health of the plant.
Thin and shape
Remove some of the oldest stems at the base to encourage new growth, and cut out crossing or rubbing branches. Make clean cuts just above a healthy bud or pair of buds, angled away from the bud.
Feed, mulch and tidy
After pruning, spread a layer of compost or mulch around the base, keeping it away from the stems. Shred or compost healthy prunings and dispose of diseased material through your council garden waste service.
Ready-to-use checklist
- Sharp, clean secateurs
- Loppers for thicker stems
- Pruning saw for larger branches
- Gloves and eye protection
- Plant name and flowering time
- Mulch or compost
- Bag or bin for prunings
Practical tips
- Clean blades between plants if you are cutting out disease.
- Never remove more than about a third of a shrub in one year unless you are doing a planned hard renovation.
- Step back regularly to check the overall shape as you work.
Common problems
I pruned my shrub and it did not flower this year. Why?
It was probably pruned at the wrong time and the flowering stems were removed. Leave it to grow and prune straight after flowering next time if it blooms in spring or early summer.
My shrub is huge and overgrown. Can I cut it right back?
Many tough shrubs respond to renovation pruning spread over two or three years, removing a third of the oldest stems each time. Some, such as many conifers, do not regrow from old wood, so check first.
The pruning cuts are dying back. What went wrong?
Cuts left too far above a bud, or ragged cuts from blunt tools, can die back. Recut just above a healthy bud with sharp secateurs.