Kitchen Garden Forum

I don't know if Mole or anyone else has any thoughts on whether we should be taking a look at times we are pruning certain shrubs.
Last year some shrubs were blooming very early or very late, but this year it's even worst, for instance one garden where i work, have got a four year old philadephus that has just come into bloom again.
I was just wondering wether we will end up having to alter pruning dates, or wether things will get back to normal.

We had a very interesting talk on pruning recently by a Chris Bird from Sparshalt College.
His advise was to add one month to your usual pruning times - global warming etc. is making a difference as we all can see.

Pruning times given in gardening books are now out of date.

This applies to fruit trees etc. as well as shrubs.

Beryl.

Dear Beryl, thankyou very much for that imformation, i'm glad it's not just me that is thinking along these lines then, i was starting to worry.

Dear Herbacious,

It is all getting very confusing isn't it. My little front garden is still a mass of colour. Fuchsias,
Begonias,Gailardia, all in full bloom. The Potentilla I would normally have hard pruned back by now is still flowering.
Even on the lottie, plums and cherries have only just
finished shedding their leaves.

Mind you with the gales we have had today I wouldn't think there will be much left on the trees now.

Regards
Beryl.

Hmmnnnnn. I'm even more confused now. Maybe I'll wait an additional 6 weeks?!?!

Hi OH

certainly, I've noticed apple trees take longer for the wood to ripen for summer pruning of new growth -often do it in late august/september now not july/august.


Mole

Yes, I'm perplexed too. I have several Daphne bushes which I normally prune in Autumn but this year was too busy. When I went out with the secateurs this morning and looked closely at them they're already full of bursting pink buds.