No matter how I try, I always seem to lose out on flowers, in one way or another.
The theory is simple:
Shrubs which flower early in the year (usually before July) produce new wood during that year and this bears flowers the following year. Because it is produced early in the year, it has time to harden off before winter. However, we need to be quick and prune as soon as the flowers have faded.
Shrubs which flower in the second half of the year do not have time to harden their new wood before winter, so to avoid damage they are best pruned in late winter or early spring of the following year. They will then bear flowers on this new wood.
It all sounds so simple. Not for me. I have tried all ways. I just never seem to get it right; if I cut back any earlier there would be no flowers. And not only this, professional gardeners treat pruning as some sort of arcane art - some sort of secret they mustn't divulge. Arcane art or not, if you are thinking about doing some pruning, can I give you some advice?
Think again. Do you really really have to do it?
A good principle in growing is the old adage: IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT.
So don't prune before you really have to. And bear in mind that many shrubs do not need pruning.
However, if you really must, then understand why you are doing it. Is it:
- To restore flowering vigour?
- To shape or repair the shrub?
By all means feel free to follow your own judgement. Go to the library and take out a good textbook on pruning. If you know the name of your shrub, detailed instructions can be found. Follow them carefully.
RESTORING FLOWERING VIGOUR
Some shrubs (e.g. hydrangeas and roses) need young vibrant stems to produce their best flowers. As the stems lengthen, the flowers gradually become smaller and smaller. Giving these plants a really hard pruning re-invigorates them. And the harder we prune them, the more they like it. They will supply you with exhibition quality blooms (this applies to most plants, in my experience).
Contrary to consensus, you don't really need to know anything about pruning to deal with this situation.
All you need do is cut back one or two of the oldest, most gnarled stems down to about 15cm (6 inches) above the ground each April, whether they are flowering or not. You will probably lose the flowers on these stems (that's why only one or two), but you will hardly notice, especially if they are outside stems. Don't worry about damaging the plant. You are likely to do more good than harm (because you are inducing production of new wood).
SHAPING AND REPAIRING
Thinning
All plants need air circulating freely amongst their leaf canopies. To facilitate this, the best shape is long, almost parallel, vertical stems, each with just a few side branches. Cut off all branches which cross each other, especially the thinner ones (and the dead ones) which look untidy - cut these right back to the stem, being careful not to cut or damage the stem. Just leave a few branches. It might look horrific at first, but the new thinner look will soon grow on you.
Shaping
Sometimes branches become damaged or misplaced by the wind. Cut these back as far as necessary to restore the shape.
If the plant is becoming too large, consider whether you can just cut back a few stems this year, followed by more next year, and so on. If you want to reduce the shrub's size, do not cut these stems right back; ironically, this usually gives them so much vigour that they might even be taller by next year. No. Cut them to just below the required height.
If you want to use clippers or a hedge trimmer to trim them all over, bear in mind that you will probably lose a year's flowers. But you will not do any permanent damage.
As you can see, I usually get too carried away when I eventually get around to pruning. But this forsythia will soon fill in with new wood. And there should be enough old shoots left to get at least some flowers next year.
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