As the end of meteorological summer ends and we officially move into autumn, it’s time to grab your pruning shears and secateurs and head for the garden…
Wisteria
It’s been a great year for Wisteria, with some lucky gardeners seeing a second flowering over the last few weeks. You have probably noticed some really long extension shoots, creeping across your garden and these are the ones you should be tacking now. Chop back to five or six leaves or alternatively leave about 40-50 cm to encourage flowering next year.
Lavender
Now that the main flowering time is over for lavender, you want to avoid damage to your plants that can be caused by heavy autumn rain and snow in the winter.
For strong plants and a fabulous show next year you should prune by taking off the whole flowering stem down to the first pair of leaf buds, so your plant is ready to shoot next season. Don’t leave behind a leafless stem or you won’t have new growth or flowers.
You can either use pruning shears for large areas of lavender hedges or cut a handful at a time using secateurs. Be brave and prune evenly – even if you need to cut back any new growth which may have started. This will give you neat plant and give you fresh, even growth next year.
Honeysuckle
There has been some beautiful honeysuckle around this year, with its fragrant flowers providing a rich feast for bees and wasps.
Now is the time to secure any new, waxy shoots by tucking them carefully into a trellis or back into the main plant – this will stop them blowing around and snapping in the autumn wind. If you have any unwanted growth, particularly any long shoots which are growing out and away from your plant, you should cut these back to about 30cm. Again, this will help to protect the plant from breakages which may weaken it.
Once the existing flowers have finished, the plant will produce some lovely red berries which you can leave for the wildlife or prune back to keep the plant under control.
Winter Jasmine
This popular flowering plant produces flowers in winter and spring, so by the early autumn it will have done most of its growing.
Now it is a good time to give your Winter Jasmine a tidy up by removing older, flowered growth and making sure new growth is supported and tied into wires or a trellis support. If you do this now, then you won’t disturb any new buds at they start to form, and you should have a wonderful winter display of tiny yellow flowers to brighten up your garden.
Make sure your garden tools are up to the job!
Pruning shears and secateurs should be cleaned after use to prevent the spread of any fungal or bacterial infections and kept sharp to ensure all cuts are clean and crisp. Make sure you wipe over blades with a non-toxic oil so they move freely – linseed oil is a good choice and an eco-alternative to any petroleum based oil.
Further advice
If you would like further advice or information about how to prune and care for your garden in the summer months, then please get in touch.
