Pruning is done throughout the year to help the garden thrive and promote new growth. The Royal Horticultural Society has shared some of the plants that should be pruned this month
Pruning is a year-round task that helps gardens flourish and encourages new growth.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) suggests that August is the ideal time to prune certain plants, including lavender and roses, reports the Express.
Wisteria
To manage its vigorous growth and size, as well as enhance its flowering, wisteria requires regular pruning. Experts advise: “Wisterias can be left to ramble unchecked where space allows, but will usually flower more freely and regularly if pruned twice a year.”
They add: “The removal of growth in summer allows better air circulation and more sunlight to reach the base of the young growths, encouraging better ripening of the wood and improving the chances of flower bud formation.” Trimming back the whippy green shoots of the current year’s growth to five or six leaves not only controls its size but also “encourages it to form flower buds” rather than green growth.
Lavenders
Micheal, known as @themediterraneangardener on TikTok, says that August is the perfect time to prune lavender. When pruning lavenders, it’s crucial not to cut into old wood as this part may not regrow. In a pruning tutorial, the gardener explains: “It’s going to continue to grow, it will put on probably another two inches or so worth of growth but that’s ok, we leave that.
“That growth will protect over winter and then come next year this is in a good compact shape ready to put out some new flower buds for you to enjoy.”
Rambling roses
If left unpruned, rambling roses can become tangled and unsightly, so it’s important to give them a good trim now. The RHS said: “Ramblers are routinely pruned in late summer, after their show of flowers and hips. When supports have been covered, thin and shorten excessive growth by removing one in three of the oldest stems entirely.”
“If space is restricted, prune out all stems that have flowered and tie new ones in to take their place.” It is also important to keep plants hydrated, especially when the weather is warm and there isn’t much shade.
The RHS added: “Thoroughly soak drought-stressed plants and shrubs, especially newly planted ones. Use grey, recycled or stored rainwater wherever possible. Keep early-flowering shrubs such as camellia and rhododendron well watered during dry periods to ensure good flower bud initiation.”
