Even if you think your plants don’t need pruning as they’re looking gorgeous, or you’re not a fan of a manicured garden, cutting back your plants is still necessary. Plants need to be tidied up, as a garden that isn’t pruned regularly will soon become too overgrown and look unattractive.
“Virtually all plants need pruning,” explains Pietman Diener, Stellenbosch gardener and plant lover. “Trees, shrubs, climbing plants and perennials all benefit from being pruned. Annuals only live for one season so they don’t need to be pruned.
“Precisely when you prune varies by a week or three, depending on the climate. In a colder climate, pruning is done later to prevent the plant’s new growth from being damaged by frost. But the method of pruning remains the same,” he says.
How and when to prune
There are a few basic principles to follow when it comes to how and when to prune. And the bonus of pruning? You can make cuttings from the trimmings of many plants.
“Winter-and spring-flowering plants must be pruned after they have bloomed. This ensures that you don’t cut off the old wood that developed during the past growing season as this is where flowers are produced. Plants that bloom in late spring and summer are pruned in winter. These plants produce flowers on new wood that only develops
