Pruning involves the selective removal of certain parts of a plant to facilitate better growth. While all plants and trees need pruning at different stages throughout the year, one expert has recommended pruning evergreens now. Evergreen plants have foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season, meaning they can sometimes get quite out of hand.
Tom Hilton, outdoor and indoor garden expert at National Greenhouse, said: “Evergreens are ideal for June pruning.
“If you prune them too early in the year, you risk damaging them further, as they will already be quite weak from frost damage.
“At the start of summertime is the best period for pruning, where you can work on their structure for successful growth and begin neatening them up by removing damaged and weakened stems.
“Some popular evergreen shrubs to prune in June are camellias, ceanothus and rhododendrons.”
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“With evergreens, you should discard around a third of its old wood, which includes any overgrowth of branches that are getting cluttered.
“When it comes to cutting, you should reach down to the strongest branches where you can see the emergence of new buds.
“Cut just above these.”
Cutting just above new buds will ensure that all the energy within the plant will be evenly distributed.
They said: “The aim is to remove any dead wood and create good air flow to the whole plant, cutting downwards away from the bud so that water does not collect there.
“Roses are susceptible to a host of diseases such as mildew, black-spot, and aphids, so pruning can help prevent the spread of disease throughout the growing season.
“If you spot the signs of an infection it’s important to act fast.
“Simply remove any infected leaves and branches using sharp, sterilised secateurs to prevent further spread of disease to the healthy areas of the plant.”
Gardeners who have roses can also use a disease control spray.
