Great timing of the new posts here. I have one too and was wondering what to do about pruning. Think I'll prune back about half and leave the rest. Do the same for the other half next year.
I normally hard prune mine now, but it didn't grow as much as usual last year because it was warm and dry so I think I'll leave it and see if it has more flowers than usual.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
I pruned mine hard for the 1st few years and never got flowers. I now prune about 1/3 back to the ground to encourage new shoots from the base, but just lightly prune the previous years growth so I get flowers too
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I have been pruning everything the wrong way I think. When it is said to cut back by one third does that mean to remove from the base one third of the stems? I have been cutting all stems off by one third from the top down. Foes this apply to roses also? Confused...............
I do a bit of both with my elders. If I had 9 stems coming out of the ground, I'd remove the 3 oldest in winter. This will encourage more than 3 stems to re-grow from the base of the plant. Some of the upper growth I cut back a bit too, but remember that they flower on last years growth, so you wont get flowers from a cut back stem until the following year. It easier to manage as the plant matures as I can leave enough stems to get nice flowers, but also sort-of keep it under control.
It's a good idea with roses too to remove 1/3 of the old stems back to the ground in winter to encourage new shoots, but it may depend on the variety of rose
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
@Pete8 thanks for the info...........I learned myself that I was pruning the black elder wrong when I saw one flowering and realised mine should have been flowering too. I must remember to start removing stems also.
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When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I now prune about 1/3 back to the ground to encourage new shoots from the base, but just lightly prune the previous years growth so I get flowers too
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I have a black lace sambucas butit is very leggy, it only has 4 stems with growth on the top. Any advice please
In the sticks near Peterborough
If I had 9 stems coming out of the ground, I'd remove the 3 oldest in winter. This will encourage more than 3 stems to re-grow from the base of the plant.
Some of the upper growth I cut back a bit too, but remember that they flower on last years growth, so you wont get flowers from a cut back stem until the following year.
It easier to manage as the plant matures as I can leave enough stems to get nice flowers, but also sort-of keep it under control.
It's a good idea with roses too to remove 1/3 of the old stems back to the ground in winter to encourage new shoots, but it may depend on the variety of rose
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.