Three common plants that must be pruned now if you want them to ‘flourish year after year’

Three common plants that must be pruned now if you want them to ‘flourish year after year’ (Image: Getty)

Pruning is a vital gardening task that should be carried out in most seasons, but it’s important to know when certain plants benefit most from it.

Luckily, gardening guru Peter Murray from Murray Steel Buildings has shared his top tips on what to prune this autumn and how to do so.

The expert explained that pruning now prepares certain plants for the seasons ahead, ensuring their gardens continue to “flourish year after year”.

Peter said: “Pruning these plants at the right time helps maintain their health and encourages strong growth and flowering in the following season.”

1. Roses

When it comes to roses, cut back dead or diseased stems, and shape the plant by trimming lightly.

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Roses only need a light prune in autumn (Image: Getty)

Peter advises gardeners to make angled cuts just above an outward-facing bud to promote new growth.

2. Hydrangeas

For hydrangeas, remove spent flowers and dead stems carefully, but avoid heavy pruning for old wood varieties.

Like when pruning all plants, Peter urged gardeners to use clean, sharp shears to prevent damage.

Remove spent flowers and dead stems carefully from hydrangeas in autumn (Image: Getty)

3. Lavender 

When pruning lavender, cut back spent flower stalks and trim the plant lightly, avoiding cutting into the old wood.

Always try to prune to maintain a rounded shape and prevent the plant from becoming leggy.

As well as there being plants to prune in autumn, there are also some that should never be pruned at this time, according to the experts at award-winning nursery Direct Plants.

Plants to avoid pruning now

1. Rhododendrons 

They grow their flowers on old wood so you should never prune your rhododendron in autumn. If your plant does need cutting back, it’s best to do it in spring after it stops blooming. Deadwood and foliage can of course be removed at any time.

2. Forsythia 

Forsythia is a fast-growing plant so does benefit from being cut back. The best time to do this is in the spring after all its flowers have bloomed. 

If you leave it until autumn to prune a forsythia, you’ll reduce the number of blooms the following year.

3. Azalea 

A lovely full plant which adds a lot of colour, azaleas shouldn’t be pruned in autumn. They don’t need much attention anyway but a little bit of pruning in spring can help them become even more bushy the following year.