Maintenance Plan

After either you have planted a new garden with its planting plan and list of existing and new plants, or you have just created the existing plant list you created from your existing garden 'soft plan', then you need to draw up a maintenance plan. The maintenance plan for each plant should be established within the first year of planting.

The maintenance plan should include the full name of the tree or plant, the type and extent of the pruning to be undertaken, the best season for pruning (on the Plant Pruning Page of the Plants Section), any necessary feeding or mulching and any deadheading of flowers required. If you do not know the name, then you may be able to identify it from the photographs in the A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants in the Plant Species section of the Library or from the Comparison Pages on the Plant Photographic Galleries.

However, when pruning and shaping any individual tree or shrub, do not forget that it is to integrate with those plants around it. Please do not ‘haircut’ your shrubs, unless you are into topiary. Pruning is not the same as a quick trim, and does a lot more than keeping a shrub in a particular shape.

Pruning Guide

Pruning needs an effective pair of secateurs and loppers to make clean cuts, and aims to renew the deciduous shrub growth above ground bit by bit, over three or four years.

Find the following data on the shrub plant you want to prune:

• Flowering period? i.e. June to October
• Evergreen or Deciduous
• Attractive fruit or berries?

The first pruning cuts should always aim at removing dead, damaged and diseased shoots, starting from the base of the plant.

Then remove any crossing branches and recreate a balanced natural shape (If the natural shape is horizontal branches, then remove the vertical branch that is crossing it).

If possible, remove a quarter of the oldest main branches/trunks of deciduous shrubs each year to create a 1, 2, 3 and 4 year old main branch system.

Having done this you are now ready to execute the instructions given in the following Group to which the plant belongs.

Group 1

Spring-flowering, deciduous and evergreen shrubs (flower up to June) i.e. Forsythia, Ribes, Cytisus, Rambling and Climbing Roses, some Clematis, Mahonia, Rhododendron and Erica x darleyensis.

• Prune immediately after the flowers have faded.
• Shorten the stems which have carried flowers.
• Most evergreens are best left unpruned, so limit it to periodic thinning.

Group 2

Summer-flowering deciduous and evergreen shrubs (flower from June onwards) i.e. Potentilla, Weigelia, Roses (except Ramblers and Climbers), some Hypericum, Cistus, Calluna, Erica cinerea, Erica tetralix, Erica vagans, Rosmarinus and Thymus.

• Prune in February—March, just before new growth commences.
• Cut back some of the older shoots that carry little in the way of new growth to encourage vigour. Cut to an outward facing bud, and cut at an angle to let the rain drain off.
• Trim back some of the remaining shoots.
• Most evergreens are again in this group, so only periodic thinning.

Group 3

Spring or summer-flowering shrubs that bear berries or attractive fruits (deciduous or evergreen).

• Plant these shrubs at an adequate spacing to prevent the need for excessive pruning, but some renewal will be needed to maintain flower bearing wood. It is generally best done immediately after flowering by thinning out weak or overcrowded shoots.
• Do not leave pruning until major ‘surgery’ is required. Little and often is best.
• Prune most deciduous trees during the winter, except the Prunus family ( Cherry, Greengage or Plum) which are pruned after their fruit has been picked to prevent Silver Leaf Curl.

More detailed information may be obtained from "The Pruning of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" by George E. Brown in the Gardening section of the Library.

Key Messages

• Mulch with grass mowings, prunings from plants and compost from vegetable/tea/coffee kitchen waste together with herbaceous material onto the plant beds to feed the plants and condition the soil.
• Irrigate regularly new plantings for a minimum of the first two years.
• Do not ‘haircut’ your shrubs, but use the above pruning procedure to extend their life and keep them vibrant.
• Use green twine, not wire or plastic ties, to tie plants if you do not want to strangle your plants.

Now onwards to weed, prune and mulch your plants.