Pruning

Don’t prune roses until next month, as it will encourage growth and frost can burn new cuts. However, now is an ideal time for planting. If you are planting roses where they have been growing before and want to avoid replant disease, the addition of mycorrhizal fungi is said to avoid the problem by increasing the uptake of nutrients – see www.rootgrow.co.uk, who stock the product. The granules contain fungi that coat the roots, helping them absorb minerals and water.

DEADHEAD AND PRUNE If you haven’t pruned the grapevines, do so immediately, as they will bleed if left too late. Once you have a framework of primary limbs, prune laterals back to one or two buds. The same principle applies to wisteria, which should be pruned this month. Buddleia and summer-flowering clematis should also be pruned, reducing last summer’s growth to within a couple of buds of the old wood. Prune hard to about knee height and retrain clematis on to their support, as the buds will be away as soon as weather warms. Hydrangea paniculata and H “Annabelle” can be pruned in the same manner as buddleia, but the mop-headed hydrangeas flower on the previous year’s wood and should be thinned by a third to encourage new wood. Hydrangeas can also be deadheaded now by taking the flowering heads back to a strong pair of shoots.