GARDENING
Ten top plants to prune now
Geoff Stebbings lists the garden favourites that will benefit from a summer trim
Pruning lavender
ALAMY
The Sunday Times
Late August is not the time most people think of getting out the secateurs and scooting round the garden pruning. But for many shrubs it is the ideal time. What is commonly referred to as summer pruning (usually done in mid to late August) has different results to winter and spring pruning. There are some plants you should leave well alone at this time of year, so jump straight to the last paragraph if you are concerned.
When you prune in spring the plants are about to burst into growth and the buds you leave will quickly produce new growth. When you prune now, there should be no new growth, or very little, this year because most hardy plants “know” that the days are getting
