How to prune trees and shrubs

Clearing wayward branches, and tidying and pruning trees and are essential spring tasks in the garden.

Materials you will need:

Secateurs
Gardening gloves
Rototiller
Garden weasel
Bow saw
Insecticide

Step 1: Remove dead plants

Remove any dead annual plants remaining from winter and toss them onto the compost heap.

Step 2: Weed

Once all that is cleared, you must weed. You could use garden tools such as a rototiller or garden weasel to help you turn the soil over and remove the weeds.

Step 3: Weedkillers and insecticides

If you want to use chemicals to kill the weeds and insects, now is the time to do so before you plant anything.

Step 4: Compost

Once the chemicals are dry, you can add in manure and compost to enrich the soil.

Step 5: Prune

Then get out those pruning shears for a trim. It’s important to prune annually to give your garden a healthy start to the flowering season. It gives them a boost and increases their flowering potential.

Easy guide to pruning trees and shrubs:

Make sure your secateurs are clean and sharp. Wear gloves if you’re pruning thorny or spiky shrubs.
Check for excess growth and plan how you want to shape your shrub. Use secateurs or trimmers to cut.
Cut roughly 0,5 to one centimetre away from a leaf node. It will eventually sprout new growth, so pick a node that faces in the right direction.
Only trim branches that have weak, V-shaped, narrow angles. Retain branches that have strong, U-shaped angles.
When pruning is complete, the ratio of living crown to tree height should be two-thirds.

Knowing exactly when to prune is as important as knowing how to do it. With evergreen shrubs there is no hard-and-fast rule as to when to prune. With deciduous flowering shrubs, it’s essential to prune according to their time of flowering. If the shrub is pruned at the wrong time of the year, you will remove all the flowering wood. Top Tip: If you want bursts of flowers almost all year round, deadheading spent blooms is the trick.