How do you know when to prune?

I am in my second year of gardening and am learning. I have won the war against the slugs this year and now have been told that deadheading and pruning will produce a nicer plant for want of better words. How do you know when to do this? Pressumably there are different guidelines for different plants / flowers but is there a general rule / rules to follow? At the moment i dont even know what i have in my bed except cordyline red star and pineapple erm.... pineapple something, lavender, lemon scented conifer.. I have deliberately planted perrennials as i dont have all the time in the world but threw all the cards away. (mistake i think)

 

As a general rule there is a saying: If it flowers before the longest day in June prune it after its flowered. If it flowers after that date, wait until the winter.

Explanation, things like forsythia flowers in around February time, and it flowers on the growth it produced the previous summer season.

Other plants like buddlia , flowers on growth produced this year, so can be chopped down in the winter, and will have time to produce enough leaf to enable flowering.

There are exceptions to every rule, I can't think of any at the moment, but like Loofah says, get an ID of the plant and ask questions! You could always post a photo or two on here, and we could always help you!

Hope this Helps!

 

I have a very large Rhododendron in a very large pot..but this year it really has grown so much..is it ok to prune or would it be better to repot in an evven larger pot..I am so worried at losing it..as it is thriving so well..

 

paterson00

Another general approach (it's not really a rule) about pruning that applies to shrubs, is "Do it by thirds". This says that if you remove one third of all shoots completely or cut back all shoots by a third, you'll probably do some good and you're unlikely to kill the plant!

I've used this approach when tackling a very overgrown border containing some shrubs I didn't recognise.

 

I consult my vast gardening books collection (conveniently stored in my local library) and google. Even if you have thrown away the tags it's worth the trouble to try to identify your favourite plants at least roughly. Google, google.

Anyways, you will get far by just following the common sense rules in the posts above, if a plant doesn't respond well you can always try to dig out more info on that specific one.

There are plants out there with quite specific needs, some fruit trees for example, where igorance can cause larger scale damage in addition to the heartbreak, but in general plants are kind and forgiving companions.

 

There are no hard and fast rules Paterson. But
For dead heading - as the flowers go past on a plant cut them off if you can
This makes the plant look nicer and in some plants it keeps them flowering if you don't let them make seed.
It really is a case of knowing which plants are worth spending the time on.

Pruning does 2 things
It keeps a shrub the size and shape you want it to be
and helps the next years flowering.

As a general rule
prune shrubs after they have flowered
just cut off the flowered stems, any dead or dying stems and any bits that are getting too high or wide for you.
Shrubs that flower in early spring prune after flowering.
Shrubs that flower in summer prune anytime from late summer to early spring.

If you never do it at all your plants will be fine but you will get better looking plants if you do.
Don't stress yourself out about it.
These things will all come to you in time.
In the meantime - enjoy your garden.