Spring is the time to think about pruning many plants in the garden. However, never prune for the sake of pruning, prune only the plants that need pruning. Roses are a good example of plants that need to be pruned, so are raspberries, clematis and sometimes hydrangeas, lilacs and others. Some plants resent pruning and therefore irreparable damage can be cause if they are pruned. So here are a few suggestions of plants that benefit from being pruned and possible ways of doing it:



Aesculus parviflora (bottlebrush buckeye): - This is a suckering shrub. Cut out congested, old stems at ground level in late summer or early autumn to encourage the development of fresh ones. If the pruning is left until spring there is a risk that the plant will bleed. This applies to all members of the well-known horse chestnut family. Andromeda polifolia (bog rosemary): - Occasionally, cut out old stems after the flowers fade, in early summer.

Artemisia abrotanum (lad's love/southernwood): - Cut out frosted and congested shoots in early spring.

Artemisia arborescens: - Prune this deciduous or evergreen species in the same way as A. abrotanum.

Buddleia alternifolia: - As soon as flowers fade in latter part of early summer, cut back by two thirds all stems that produced flowers. This prevents the shrub becoming congested with old wood.

Buddleia davidii (butterfly bush): - Regular pruning in early spring is essential: cut back all the previous season's shoots to within 2-3 inch (5-7.5cm) of the older wood. This encourages the development of fresh shoots that will bear flowers later in the same year.

Buddleia globosa: - Prune immediately after the flowers fade in early summer. Cut out dead flowers, and 2-3 inch (5-7.5cm) of the old wood.

Bupleurum fruticosum: - Cut back shoots fairly hard in late winter or early spring. This encourages the development in later spring and early summer of fresh, young shoots.

Caesalpinia: - Shorten overly long shoots in later winter.

Callicarpa. During early and mid-spring, thin out overcrowded bushes, retaining as much of the young, healthy wood as possible.

Calluna vulgaris (heather/ling): - use secateaurs to cut back long shoots in early spring. Alternatively, trim over them with garden shears to remove dead flowers immediately they fade.

Calycanthus (allspice): - During spring, thin out overcrowded bushes, retain as much of the young and healthy wood as possible.

Carpenteria californica: - Shorten long, straggly and weak shoots after the flowers fade in mid to late summer.

Caryopteris x clandonensis (bluebeard): - In early spring, cut back shoots produced during the previous year - weak shoots to soil level and stronger ones to healthy buds. This encourages the development of fresh shoots from ground level.

Cassinia: - Prune these heath-like shrubs in early spring to keep them shapely; shorten the longest stems.

Ceanothus (Californian lilac): - Prune spring-flowering evergreen types, when grown as bushes, after their flowers fade. Shorten the longest shoots to keep the plant neat and shapely. When evergreen varieties are grown against walls, cut back strong side shoots to 1-2 inch (2.5-5cm) from the main branches as soon as flowering is over. Prune late summer and autumn flowering deciduous types in spring: cut out thin shoots and prune strong stems that produce flowers during the previous year to 6-12 inch (15-30cm) from the old wood.

Chaenomeles (Japanese quince/cydonia): - Plants grown, as bushes in borders require little attention, except the removal of thin and congested shoots after the flowers have faded.

Chimonanthus praecox (winter sweet): - When grown as bushes in a border, little attention is needed other than thinning shoots in spring. However, when grown against a wall, cut out flowered shoots to within two buds of their base after their yellow, spicyscented flowers have faded.

Chionanthus (fringe tree): - after the flowers fade, during mid-summer, thin crowded bushes by cutting out weak and spindly shoots.

Cistus (rock rose): - During their infancy, nip out the growing points from young shoots to encourage the development of bushy plants. When fully grown these plants dislike being pruned: if old wood is cut, fresh shoots do not develop from it. Old, leggy, unsightly plants are best dug up and replaced.