Gardening is what I love, getting in amongst the plants and getting dirty. Pruning, shaping, trimming away the winter dead, making the lawn look neat against the planting. Deciding which plants to keep if it is too crowded, re-thinking elements of the garden if necessary. Oh, and of course, weeding.

When I prune I aim to hold back rampant growing shrubs, so that pruning again is not necessary too soon. Young trees can be shaped into a desirable framework early on. I particularly enjoy shaping to enhance the natural habit of the plant.

The whole garden can be pruned in two or three sessions throughout the year, to allow flowering in the spring, summer and winter. You may want to sort out your existing vegetation to see what room you have, or have completely new planting.

I visit some gardens just once a year to prune and shape things, remove older stems or canes and occasionally plant something new. The pruning often lasts a whole year and still looks good when I next visit.

I prune a fig tree regularly to keep it from shading out too much of the small garden in which it is planted, and a climbing rose is pruned to follow the shape of a trellis.


In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.   Margaret Atwood