Monty Don lists plants to 'prune now' to help garden displays 'bear maximum flowers'
Monty Don recommends cutting back Wisteria in June
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Flowering enters its prime in June, but it’s not too early to start pruning spent buds, according to Monty Don.
The gardening guru says six different shrubs need a trim in June to ensure copious flowering the following year.
Pruning is also crucial for getting more gorgeous blooms and beautiful colours throughout the summer.
The British horticulturist explained: “The Spring flowering shrubs such as Philadelphus, Amelanchier, Deutzia, Weidelia and Rubus all produce their flowers on shoots grown the previous summer so should be pruned now.
Cut back Philadelphus in June for better displays next Spring
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“This will give the new growth plenty of time to ripen before winter and thus bear maximum flowers next Spring.
“Mature shrubs should be pruned hard, cutting back most of the flowering stems to a healthy new shoot and taking the oldest growth (but no more than a third or quarter of the plant) right back to the base so it is completely renewed every three to four years.
“A very overgrown shrub should be renewed in this gradual manner too.
“Young shrubs should have the weakest growth cut back with the remainder pruned just to shape and size.”
According to Monty, Wisteria will also benefit from pruning to help maintain vigorous growth and keep the plant's size under control.
He explained that Wisteria produces its flowers on new growth, which in turn emerge from spurs off the main shoots.
“When they have finished flowering - and for most of us that is around the middle of June - is the best time to prune all this year’s new shoots back to a spur, leaving no more than six inches of growth,” noted Monty.
“In the process, the whole plant can be tidied, trained and tied in so that there are no loose, trailing shoots.”
If there is any doubt about how hard to prune, the gardener advises erring on the side of cutting lightly.
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Deutzia will enjoy a new lease of life after it's been pruned
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In the new year, once the foliage has all died back, gardeners can prune again, reducing each side shoot to just two to three inches.
In the summer, they should be more careful to identify which branches to trim.
The Royal Horticultural Society recommends pruning new shoots that are not needed or have grown in crowded areas.
These can be cut back to five or six leaves from the main branch, making the cut just above the leaf.
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