BBC Gardeners' World

Gardeners' World Magazine is the authoritative voice in gardening, the clear market-leader since it launched in 1991. The award-winning editorial includes topical, practical advice in the readers' favourite 'what to do now' section, and regular contributions and features from the top names in BBC gardening. Packed with fresh ideas and clear advice - the innovative approach offers creative, practical and problem-solving solutions to all keen gardeners.

Welcome

Why prune? • Making the right cuts is simple once you know how and when to prune your plants. The results will transform your garden, encouraging longer and better flowering displays as well as adding structure and year-round interest, with well-shaped shrubs and specimen trees. Pruning also helps prolong flowering, so even deadheading will have a big impact on your garden.

Spring • This is the time of year when warmer weather and increasing day length encourages new growth. Sap starts to rise and plant stems lengthen, while winter flowers fade. It’s a time to tidy up for the new season ahead and encourage the best performance and flowering from your plants by controlling their growth with the right pruning techniques. Here we show you what to prune this season and how to tackle key plants.

What to prune in spring • Several types of plants benefit from spring pruning. First are the shrubs that need cutting back hard to promote good growth and colour. These include shrubs grown for their vibrant winter stems or attractive foliage, as well as vigorous flowering shrubs. Evergreen shrubs can be shaped up too, as soon as they finish flowering. Many perennials, including deciduous grasses, should be cut back to get rid of all the dead stems and foliage, before new growth starts.

10 key plants to prune • Discover what to prune in spring as the weather warms up and plants put on new growth. Well-timed pruning will ensure you get the best flowering displays in your borders and containers and prevent plants becoming leggy or top heavy. With vigorous shrubs, it will also help to control growth and stop them outgrowing their space.

Dogwood

Hydrangeas

Fuchsias

Weigela

Easy pruning jobs for spring • Try out some key pruning techniques with these simple spring tasks. They won’t take long but will make a huge impact in your garden. Removing straggly growth from clematis, cutting back ornamental grasses and doing the Chelsea chop are just a few things you can do now to help boost your plants’ performance and give your garden a spring clean. The results are more than worth the effort.

Topiary • Best time to do it: late spring-summer

Summer • This is the season to prune shrubs, climbers and rambling roses to keep them well shaped and within bounds. It’s also a key time for deadheading border plants of all kinds, to keep the flower display going strong for as long as possible. With fruit trees, summer pruning is just as important as winter pruning. By cutting back the recent summer growth, you’ll encourage better flowering and larger crops.

What to prune in summer • Summer is a key time for pruning several groups of plants that put on a flush of new growth or that need to be cut back immediately after flowering. These include deciduous hedges, which often need to be pruned twice a year, and plants such as spring-flowering climbers and late-flowering evergreens that can be kept in shape by cutting back once they’ve finished flowering. This is also a good time to prune stone fruit to avoid disease.

10 key plants to prune • Summer pruning helps to keep plants looking their best, whether it’s deadheading flowers such as peonies and foxgloves or keeping climbers like wisteria and honeysuckle under control. Discover the key shrubs and climbers to prune this season to ensure your borders are packed with...