Alan Titchmarsh's foolproof pruning guide to trees and shrubs to 'encourage flowering'
Pruning is an essential gardening task.
Gardener, author and TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh has shared a plethora of gardening advice throughout his career, including how to keep the lawn looking green and how to prune properly. On his YouTube channel, Gardening with Alan Titchmarsh, the gardener shared his pruning advice for trees and shrubs.
Alan Titchmarsh said: “One of the most confusing things in gardening is the pruning of trees and shrubs. So today, I’m going to show you how to prune, when to prune and what to prune.” The gardening expert recommended that you need three pruning tools, depending on the thickness of the stem you’re cutting.
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Alan added: “Don’t be so aggressive with your fruit trees. Shorten the long ones at the end, but preserve those little stubby bits that go all the way up your branch because they will produce your crop.”
How to prune shrubs
Alan said: “When it comes to shrubs, those that flower in spring are generally pruned immediately after flowering. Those that flower later in the year, in summer, you prune in winter.”
The gardening expert demonstrated how to prune a rose, which he claimed was the most popular plant in any garden.
A shrub rose should be cut back between January and March. To thin out the rose, Alan cut away the dark brown, brittle branches.
He added: “It’s always a case of taking your time, seeing where it’s coming from, where it’s going to, and if there’s anything else to replace it. Once you’ve got it off, you can’t stick it back on again.”
These included a sharp pair of secateurs for smaller stems and branches, a pair of loppers for slightly thicker branches, and a pruning saw for really thick stems.
How to prune trees
Alan said: “The first thing to consider is why you’re pruning something. There are several reasons. One is to produce an appealing shape. Another is to get rid of pests and diseases. Yet another is to encourage flowering and fruiting, particularly in the case of fruit trees.”
The time to prune most fruit trees, including apples and pears, is in winter, when they lie dormant.
To prune a fruit tree, Alan recommended looking for a fruiting spur, where new growth will come from.
If any stems have “winy, weeny buds on”, this is a branch you can cut away, as nothing is going to grow on them.
