Gardening Calendar
Gardening Calendar
JANUARY
January is when climbers, shrubs and trees are leafless and in their dormant period and one of the best gardening months for pruning any garden subjects that could cause problems during winter storms and high winds. Wisteria is a good example of a climber that can be pruned now. After flowering the previous season and given a summer pruning it produces long wispy new growths that need to be controlled by cutting back. Either summer or winter pruning and whichever plant or shrub you are pruning the first step is to remove any dead or damaged branches.
JANUARY
January is when climbers, shrubs and trees are leafless and in their dormant period and one of the best gardening months for pruning any garden subjects that could cause problems during winter storms and high winds. Wisteria is a good example of a climber that can be pruned now. After flowering the previous season and given a summer pruning it produces long wispy new growths that need to be controlled by cutting back. Either summer or winter pruning and whichever plant or shrub you are pruning the first step is to remove any dead or damaged branches.
JANUARY
January is when climbers, shrubs and trees are leafless and in their dormant period and one of the best gardening months for pruning any garden subjects that could cause problems during winter storms and high winds. Wisteria is a good example of a climber that can be pruned now. After flowering the previous season and given a summer pruning it produces long wispy new growths that need to be controlled by cutting back. Either summer or winter pruning and whichever plant or shrub you are pruning the first step is to remove any dead or damaged branches.
Pruning Lilac - Syringa vulgaris
Pruning lilac in summer
In summer the dead flowers of the lilac can be cut back to the first branch. This is a question of preference and is not essential for the development of the plant, although it does keep the shrub compact and prevents it from eventually becoming bare at the bottom. After a summer pruning the lilac will flower again the next year.
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Rejuvenation pruning in October
Rejuvenation pruning completely renews the old shrub over a period of three to five years. Decide in advance which branches you want to remove in which year. Start pruning in the heart of the shrub, not on the outside. Select branches divided evenly over the entire shrub and cut these down to a length of about 30 - 40 cm, preferably to just above an outward facing eye. In the first year, you can remove about one third of the branches.
In the second year, you can remove half the branches that were left the last time, moving from the centre of the shrub outwards. In the third year the remaining outermost branches can be tackled in the same way.
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Pruning lilac in April - September
Root suckers (wild shoots) may develop throughout the growing season. These must be cut back as deeply as possible straight away. This may encourage the shrub to produce new wild shoots, which can also be removed immediately.