Home > Projects >

How to: Maintenance Pruning

You will need: Secateurs, pruning saw

On ornamental plants (not fruit) there are a few basic reasons why you should prune, best remembered as the 4 Ds: Dead, Dying, Damaged and Diseased. Next, remove crossing or rubbing branches, any that have reverted to green and for shape.

Best time to do it:

Step 1

Dead wood is easiest to see and remove in summer. Cut back to healthy, pale-coloured wood.

Step 2

Die-back is common after early pruning where a rogue frost can catch you out. Cut back to just above a healthy bud.

Step 3

Larger dead stems should be removed with a pruning saw, working very carefully so you do not damage nearby shoots.

Step 4

Green shoots on a variegated plant should be removed, as they contain more chlorophyll and are stronger. If left, they will take over and you will lose the variegation.

Related FAQs

Ask a gardening question:

Latest Gardening News

Book Review: Plants & Fungi - The Definitive Visual Guide

Just 1 more week until the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show

Nemaslug Now Available To Buy From Garden Centres

Make Levens Number One On Your Must-Yew List

Gardening Projects for September

---

How to protect against birds

How to: New orchids from old

How to care for your lawn in Autumn

How to Store Apples

Latest Gardening Videos

---

How do I protect my grapes from insects?

Cultivating Melons

Why are my pansies and violas wilting?

How to Take Care of Spring Flowering Bulbs

Will tulips grow in the shade?

How to Grow Orchids

All Videos

Explore Gardens from Around the World

The New York Botanical Garden
New York, United States

Rio de Janeiro Botanical Gardens
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Eram Garden
Shiraz, Iran

Butchart Gardens
British Columbia, Canada

Pamplemousses Botanical Garden
Pamplemousses, Mauritius

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Richmond, United Kingdom