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Knowledge test

gardenman91gardenman91 Posts: 429
edited November 2020 in Plants
Hello all, so I’m looking to test my knowledge of pruning times for some of the plants in my front garden. Would any of you be kind enough to correct me? Thank you :smile:

Nandina domestica - prune in spring any overlong growth

Cornus alba - prune in spring to ground if desired, prune any stems by a 3rd in autumn to limit potential windrock

Helleborus niger - remove flowers late spring, remove old leaves in later autumn 

Hypericum  magical universe series - cut back to 30cm ground level in spring

Aquilegia F1 series, cut back to ground in spring, deadhead after flowering

Lavendula angustifolia - prune back flower stalks either in autumn after flowering or in spring depending on climate

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Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    edited November 2020
    Too hard for me😐
    I think you'd do better of you divided your questions into more manageable portions
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • gardenman91gardenman91 Posts: 429
    @B3 Sorry about that 😐 I could lower it to just 4 plants per question? If that’s what you meant?
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Yes. Or even 3😊
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Cornus are usually pruned hard in late winter/early spring to get the best from the coloured stems.
    Hellebore niger - I don't do anything to them other than removing tatty or dead foliage. They're flowering just now.
    Most Hypericums can be hard pruned, or just left, depending on the desired effect, unless that one is different.
    Aquilegia don't get pruned - they're herbaceous, so they just die back themselves. Old stems can be removed if still there. Deadhead only if you don't want them seeding.
    Lavender gets trimmed back after flowering usually, only taking a small amount of foliage to prevent cutting back too far into old wood as they often don't recover well. They need replacing after they get too woody.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Cornus alba are usually grown for the winter bark colour. You'd lose a lot of that if you pruned in autumn. New stems have the best colour so they are pruned hard in spring to stimulate new growth for the next winter's colour. I do mine in about March when they're just starting to come into leaf, but some folks prefer to do them earlier.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    @margaret005 your list looks OK to me. Did you copy it from a book?

    I do prune aquilegias, the old leaves get to look tatty and mouldy, especially during a hot spell, but I live in SW France and @Fairygirl lives in Scotland. The winters can be cold here so I often leave lavender pruning until the spring, but they look better if it's done after flowering.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You can certainly cut aquilegias back if they get mildewy, and after the initial flowering period as you might get more flowers in a second flush [not here]  but it's not what I'd call pruning. Maybe I've misunderstood the query  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • gardenman91gardenman91 Posts: 429
    So all in all the list looks good? :) it’s what I’ve learnt from books and others :)
  • gardenman91gardenman91 Posts: 429
    @Fairygirl yes sorry about that I meant cutting back old foliage when I said pruning also, my mistake 🙂 does the list look ok? 

    @j@JennyJ yes I’d cut mine hard back in mid to late spring for the bark colour in the winter. I wouldn’t cut much off at all in the autumn, only because where it is it can get very windy! 😐
  • gardenman91gardenman91 Posts: 429
    Next list! :)

    Skimmia japonica - no pruning required

    Escallonia - no pruning required unless to shape, can be hard pruned, daadhead after flowering

    Digitalis Goldcrest (Perennial species) - cut back to ground in spring

    Photinia x fraseri - no pruning required

    Choisya ternata - no pruning required, deadhead after flowering

    Penstemon stapleford gem - cut back to bear ground level in mid spring, remove a 3rd of top growth in autumn to limit windrock/tidy plant

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