Seasonal Tips for Feb & Mar - Roses & Shrubs
Many plants respond well to pruning. It’s a great way to rejuvenate tired and woody plants and is also essential for many plants to keep them producing fresh growth, new flowers and healthy foliage.
Prune roses by removing any dead and diseased stems. Open up the centre of the bush by removing any overgrown stems and any that are rubbing together. Always prune just above an outward facing bud, as this encourages the plant to grow out rather than in and creates a much better shape overall. An overcrowded bush is much more susceptible to pest and disease problems. Feed after pruning with Rose Tree and Shrub Granular Plant Food.
- Many shrubs can be pruned in March. Dogwoods (Cornus) respond particularly well to hard pruning, as this encourages plenty of fresh coloured stems to develop. Spring flowering shrubs such as Forsythia, flowering currants, Weigela, Deutzia and early Clematis should all be pruned after flowering as they all actually flower on stems made last year. If you remove these mature stems before the flowers have opened you will stop the plants from flowering this season.
- Plants that flower on this year’s stems should be pruned in early spring to encourage plenty of new growth and flowers this season, these include Roses, the butterfly bush (Buddleia), Hydrangea paniculata, and Caryopteris. Feed after pruning with Rose Tree and Shrub Granular Plant Food.
- Climbing plants such as clematis that flower from June onwards, on new shoots that form off last year’s wood and Wisteria may have been whipped around in the winter by the wind. Prune them back lightly now to tidy them up, making sure that you do not remove any shoots that will bear this seasons flowers. Gently work some Feed-all Slow Release Plant Food into the soil surface above the roots and then mulch with Decorative Mini Bark to retain the soil moisture and insulate the plant roots from frost and sun.
Other useful tips for this season:
