Some gardeners dread it, but pruning can  be very therapeutic. It’s a way of getting the garden back into shape. Cutting back, trimming and neatening plants gets us active and best of all, we (the plants and us) can start again on a fresh page.

The basics of pruning The reason why we prune, whether it’s roses, shrubs or fruit trees, is to shape and neaten the plant, to encourage strong new growth by removing dead, old and diseased growth, and to encourage the production of more flowers or fruit. The basic steps are:

When to prune When to prune is possibly more important than how you prune. Pruning at the wrong time can affect the production of flowers or fruit.

What to prune in August?

What to prune in September?

Essential Pruning Equipment Builder’s Warehouse stocks the full range of pruning equipment, all with a two year guarantee. Here’s their advice on the right tool for each pruning job:

Secateurs are the best tool for pruning roses, hydrangeas, shrubs, creepers and fruit trees. Use them for cutting thin to medium sized stems.

Long handled loppers are useful for cutting thicker green, woody or dead stems of rose bushes, fruit trees, shrubs, and creepers. They are the next step up from secateurs and have a stronger action that will not tear or buise the thicker stems when cutting.

Pruning saws are used to saw through  and remove thick woody stems that are too dense or hard for loppers to handle. The saw is curved and the cutting action is a backward stroke, unlike regular saws that have a forward stroke. The Garden Master folding saw has a tri-cut 185mm width blade that is designed to cut faster and easier. In addition to normal hard pruning, it effectively cuts sticky and gummy plants. The  tempered steel blade is rust resistant. Being a folding saw, it takes up very little storage space and the blade is protected.

Hedge clippers are a garden essential, for use all year round to trim lawn edges, neaten hedges and shape ‘lollyop’ shrubs and other topiary.

The Garden Master straight hedge shear has sharp, heat-treated steel blades for precision cutting and durable, non-slip wooden handles for an easy grip.

We use cookies to help improve your experience and to show you relevant advertising. To learn more about cookies, please read our Privacy Policy. OK