‘Essential’ plants you must prune now to ‘encourage a second bloom’ of flowers this summer
Pruning in June is "essential" to ensure a healthy and "blossoming" summer garden, according to an expert who spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk.
Carol Klein explains the importance of judicious pruning
Nadezhda Yaneva, gardening and plant expert at Fantastic Gardeners, explained how pruning certain plants after they have flowered helps to “encourage new growth and more flowers”.
Plants to prune in June include lilacs, forsythias and azaleas as well as fruit trees and berry bushes.
1. Lilacs
The expert explained: “Remove spent flower heads and prune them for shape. For forsythias, you need to cut back the oldest stems to the base to encourage new growth.
“For azaleas, you need to prune lightly to shape the plant and remove dead or crossing branches.”
2. Early summer bloomers
Early summer bloomers for plants like roses and wisterias benefit massively from June pruning, according to the expert.
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For roses, deadhead spent blooms to encourage further flowering and remove any dead, damaged or diseased wood.
For the wisteria prune, the long side shoots should be cut back to five or six leaves to encourage flowering and control growth.
3. Fruit trees and shrubs
Pruning fruit trees helps control size and encourage fruit production, and this includes apple and pear trees.
The expert noted: “For apple and pear trees, thin out fruit to prevent branches from becoming too heavy. You can also do light pruning to remove any crossing or congested branches.”
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4. Herbaceous perennials
The gardening pro continued: “Cutting back certain herbaceous perennials can promote a second bloom and keep the garden tidy.
“For geraniums and delphiniums, after the first flush of flowers, cut back to encourage a second bloom.
“For lupins, you can remove spent flower spikes to encourage further blooming.”
5. Climbing plants
To keep climbers in check, pruning before the end of June is crucial, according to the plant expert.
For early to mid-season bloomers, prune lightly after flowering to maintain shape and encourage new growth.
The pro noted: “Light pruning of evergreens like boxwood and yew helps maintain their shape.
“Trim lightly of evergreens like boxwood and yew to maintain desired shapes and remove any dead or diseased branches.”
