Gardeners urged to prune 10 plants now to ensure summer blooms
If you're looking forward to seeing your garden in bloom this summer, make sure you take time to prune these 10 plants to see them develop to their full potential
Most garden -owners are anticipating a gorgeous display of blooms once summer is in full swing – but, beware, some flowers need to be pruned first.
Pruning is a crucial task for the development of many plants, as it allows gardeners to sheer off any unwanted, damaged or dying blooms to make way for a much more robust blossom. This is because it forces the plant to redirect energy and nutrients to new blossoms. Equally, it helps prevent the spread of disease, as you can prune away any infected leaves, stems or blossoms.
Of course, not all flowers or plants require pruning, so it's important to know which ones do. Luckily, Country Living have put together a list of 10 popular plants that need pruning before summer:
Ornamental Grass
This pluming grass is great at adding visual interest to your garden. To ensure it blooms to its full potential, prune it back by about two-thirds before summer kicks into full gear.
Panicle Hydrangea
Pruning hydrangeas will encourage fuller, healthier blossoms. Country Living advise to cut it back by about a third and to remove any weak or broken stems.
Caryopteris
While this plant is known for its gorgeous deep blue blossoms, it can become foliage-heavy if left untrimmed. You can cut them back by about 30 to 45 cm without harming them.
Smooth Hydrangea
Similar to the panicle variety, smooth hydrangeas should be pruned back by about a third to guarantee fresh, healthy growth and to remove any discoloured or unappealing blossoms.
Russian Sage
This hardy plant will grow back year after year if cared for properly. To get the best of its summer bloom, you can cut it all the way to the ground to allow fresh new growth to spring back up.
Butterfly Bush
These beautiful bright purple bushes are so-called because they attract butterflies. To maintain its bloom throughout the summer, Country Living advise to cut most of the plant back once blossoms start emerging. Otherwise, you can deadhead dull blossoms.
Rose
While roses are generally low maintenance, they will benefit from pruning before the summer hits. Country Living say you should cut them back by about a third "straight across".
Lavender
Many gardeners enjoy growing lavender for its delicately-scented purple blooms. However, if your plant needs sprucing up, you can prune it back. Though make sure not to cut into the woody stem and not to prune after buds have appeared.
Catmint
A cat's favourite plant, felines are irresistibly drawn to this flowery bush. It's not necessary to prune before summer but cutting away dead stems will improve its appearance.
Boxwood
While not absolutely necessary, pruning this evergreen bush can improve its appearance. Country Living write: "You can trim to shape it, or you can leave it more natural-looking and not prune, depending on your preference."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Dunelm's £25 solution that gives 'instant relief' on hot nights
With the nation set to bake in hot weather this week, people might find it a struggle to sleep at night With summer in full swing, Brits will be dusting off their fans in an effort to keep cool ahead of scorching temperatures. According to Met Office reports, some parts of the UK could see temperatures spike at more than 30C during the day. But, when the sun sets, it might not be the relief many expect. Some areas will battle with humid heats that come close to 20C during the late night and early hours, potentially making a comfortable night of sleep impossible. Check your local forecast here. If you haven't already, now might be the time to invest in a fan that will make sleeping a breeze. There are lots in stock, such as Argos' Bush 16-Inch Pedestal/Desk White Fan (£24, down from £30) and Amazon's Oypla Electrical 16" Oscillating Pedestal Electric Cooling Fan (£19.99). But lots of Dunelm shoppers rave about the 16-inch White Pedestal Fan, which is a basic and affordable option that has been rated highly online. It costs £25 and can be collected at no extra cost from most branches within a few hours of placing a click-and-collect order. With three different speed settings, this fan is "perfect for keeping you cool and comfortable during the summer months", according to Dunelm. Dozens praised the effective device that offered a "quiet" way to keep cool. One said: "A godsend in really hot weather. Brought instant relief during really hot nights. Standing in front of it, feeling the cool air was amazing." Another added that they had "bought one for every room." A third wrote: "Probably the best fan I have ever purchased. Very quiet and powerful. Ideal for the heat!" Someone else wrote: "Very easy to assemble and put together. It works well and makes a nice breeze. [It is a] good height, especially for being in bed or on the sofa." A fifth person put: "The fan works well. Even on the lowest setting, it creates a nice cool breeze. It's very quiet to run and doesn't take up a lot of space." And, one more said: "Quiet fan even on full power!" But, there were some complaints such as the cord being "quite short" and others mentioning that the fan's mechanism for turning would "click loudly all the time. One shopper claimed that the fan would "shake violently" on any speed above 'one'. How expensive is it to have a fan on all night? It might sound like a major dent in your bank balance to drift off at night - but an electric fan usually costs mere pennies to run overnight. According to the consumer experts at Which?, fans are "generally not big energy guzzlers", even when used on the higher settings. They did add: "But, energy use varies between different types of fan and by brand. Generally speaking, desk fans are smaller so will use less energy, whereas bigger pedestal or tower fans use more energy, making them more expensive to run."
Scottish Sun
14-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
I'm a gardening pro – my easy steps – including a £2.25 Dunelm trick – will banish garden pests like aphids this summer
WE may well be seeing lower slug and snail numbers this summer thanks to colder weather in winter and the recent dry spells. But mother nature never makes it easy for us. Instead - of course - there's a new pest in town. 2 RHS members have found aphids to be the biggest problem this year Credit: Getty 2 Adam Woolcott told Sun Gardening how to get rid of garden pests Credit: Supplied Aphid levels have rocketed this year - and the RHS reckons it's top of the list of gardening queries to their hotline. There's over 500 different species found in the UK - and can be red, yellow, black, green, brown or pink. They feed by sucking sap from plants - and can cause severe damage - including distorted growth, sooty mould and plant viruses - and sometimes plant death. Chelsea award winning gardener Adam Woolcott - and Webb ambassador - gave Sun Gardening some top tips on how to tackle the most common early summer pests. APHIDS Physically remove the aphids from the stems and leaves. Use natural insecticidal soaps. Blast off with water jets. Encourage predators such as ladybirds, lacewings, and hoverflies VINE WEEVIL Both the adult vine weevil beetles and their larvae cause damage. Adults — all female — chew distinctive 'U-shaped' notches in leaves, particularly on evergreen shrubs like rhododendrons, escallonias, and viburnums. Underground: larvae feed on plant roots and can kill container plants like Heucheras. Remove adults at night when they're most active Break the life cycle with biological controls such as nematodes (apply in spring and autumn when grubs are active) Chemical treatments are a last resort, but offer longer-term control LILY BEETLE The bright red beetles and their larvae are both covered in their excrement. They can strip a plant in days, affecting flowering and bulb health. Remove beetles by hand where practical Encourage wildlife into the garden. Birds and ground beetles will eat the larvae Grow a resistant variety. Tolerate some damage if you can — total eradication isn't always necessary. CATERPILLARS Especially troublesome in veg patches. Cabbage white butterfly caterpillars love brassicas, while box tree caterpillars are spreading rapidly across the UK, stripping foliage as they go. Remove the caterpillars by hand if you can and destroy any badly affected plants (if practical) to stop the infestation from spreading. Use biological sprays like nematodes. In some cases, hot water and a mild detergent can help. Ecover is on sale at Dunelm for £2.45. As a last resort, chemical controls can be effective Also in Veronica's Column this week... Top tips, Gardening news, and a competition to win a £250 lawnmower NEWS KING Charles made a surprise visit to Windsor Flower Show last Saturday. Celebrities including Alex Jones and Kirsty Gallacher were at the one-day show - which had wonderful village fair vibes, vegetable and cake competitions and fantastic floral displays. TOP TIP JUNE is actually a good time to take Hydrangea cuttings - and get your own plants for free. They'll have produced some soft green growth - which is what you want. Choose healthy, non flowering shoots that are 10-15cm long and cut just below the node (the leaf joint). Don't collect cuttings from plants with leaves that are turning brown. And try to collect in the morning if you can. Remove the lower leaves - leaving just one or two at the top. Then dip the end in rooting powder or gel - then pop it straight in a pot. You could splash out on seeding and cutting compost - but multi purpose will do - just add a bit of grit or perlite. Then keep them out of direct sunlight and keep moist. They should have rooted within about a month. NEWS A RARE 'sheep-eating' South American plant has flowered in an English primary school for the first time. The Puya Chilensis, with its iconic spike pattern, is normally found in the Andes in Chile. But after it was planted 10 years ago by school horticulturalist Louise Moreton, it has sent out a 10ft spike at Wicor Primary School in Portchester, Hants. It's called a Sheep Catcher as it would normally entangle wildlife, hold onto it - and then when the animal died - would take the nutrients. Ms Moreton said it was exciting but a worrying sign of global warming. WIN! Keep your lawn looking its best this summer by winning a Webb Classic Self Propelled Petrol Lawn Mower worth £249.99. To enter visit or write to Sun Webb competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. July 5, 2025. T&Cs apply. TOP TIP IF you want to get more flowers from your sedums (now called Hylotelephiums) and prevent them from collapsing - pinch them out around now. Pinch off around four sets of leaves down - which will make them bushier. JOB OF THE WEEK Weeds thrive this month - keep on top of them by hoeing. Tie in sweet peas, and give your plants a good feed - liquid seaweed feed is great - and Tomorite works with nearly everything. Give agapanthus a high-potash feed every couple of weeks. For more top tips and gardening news, follow me @biros_and_bloom
Daily Mirror
05-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Gardeners urged to prune 10 plants now to ensure summer blooms
If you're looking forward to seeing your garden in bloom this summer, make sure you take time to prune these 10 plants to see them develop to their full potential Most garden -owners are anticipating a gorgeous display of blooms once summer is in full swing – but, beware, some flowers need to be pruned first. Pruning is a crucial task for the development of many plants, as it allows gardeners to sheer off any unwanted, damaged or dying blooms to make way for a much more robust blossom. This is because it forces the plant to redirect energy and nutrients to new blossoms. Equally, it helps prevent the spread of disease, as you can prune away any infected leaves, stems or blossoms. Of course, not all flowers or plants require pruning, so it's important to know which ones do. Luckily, Country Living have put together a list of 10 popular plants that need pruning before summer: Ornamental Grass This pluming grass is great at adding visual interest to your garden. To ensure it blooms to its full potential, prune it back by about two-thirds before summer kicks into full gear. Panicle Hydrangea Pruning hydrangeas will encourage fuller, healthier blossoms. Country Living advise to cut it back by about a third and to remove any weak or broken stems. Caryopteris While this plant is known for its gorgeous deep blue blossoms, it can become foliage-heavy if left untrimmed. You can cut them back by about 30 to 45 cm without harming them. Smooth Hydrangea Similar to the panicle variety, smooth hydrangeas should be pruned back by about a third to guarantee fresh, healthy growth and to remove any discoloured or unappealing blossoms. Russian Sage This hardy plant will grow back year after year if cared for properly. To get the best of its summer bloom, you can cut it all the way to the ground to allow fresh new growth to spring back up. Butterfly Bush These beautiful bright purple bushes are so-called because they attract butterflies. To maintain its bloom throughout the summer, Country Living advise to cut most of the plant back once blossoms start emerging. Otherwise, you can deadhead dull blossoms. Rose While roses are generally low maintenance, they will benefit from pruning before the summer hits. Country Living say you should cut them back by about a third "straight across". Lavender Many gardeners enjoy growing lavender for its delicately-scented purple blooms. However, if your plant needs sprucing up, you can prune it back. Though make sure not to cut into the woody stem and not to prune after buds have appeared. Catmint A cat's favourite plant, felines are irresistibly drawn to this flowery bush. It's not necessary to prune before summer but cutting away dead stems will improve its appearance. Boxwood While not absolutely necessary, pruning this evergreen bush can improve its appearance. Country Living write: "You can trim to shape it, or you can leave it more natural-looking and not prune, depending on your preference."
