What should I prune?

Pretty much any time is a good time for ‘incidental pruning’, when you notice a bit of dead material or a long, whippy stem. It’s also a useful way to touch base with what’s happening in the garden. More ‘proactive pruning’, however, requires a focused approach to encourage next season’s blooms or crops, or to ensure your plant maintains its shape and habit.

Autumn Prune summer-flowering perennials and shrubs, such as lavender, catmint, salvia and rosemary; summer-fruiting mango and raspberries after harvest.

Winter  Prune spring-flowering and spring-fruiting plants, such as roses, wisteria, blueberries and grapevines; deciduous fruit trees, including apples, pears and figs; evergreen fruit trees, such as olives; ornamental grasses.

Spring Prune winter- and spring-blooming shrubs, including camellia, azalea and rhododendron, and natives, such as wattle, grevillea and banksia; summer-flowering shrubs, including hibiscus, plumbago and oleander (make sure you wear gloves as all parts of the plant are poisonous); flowering vines, including mandevilla and passionfruit.

Summer Gardenia, repeat-flowering roses, lilac, stone-fruit trees.

Follow these tips for the best results:

• Cut just above a node (leaf joint) and bud, which is where the new growth will appear. If you leave a stub too long, it may rot or die back and damage the plant.
• Prune at an angle away from the bud to encourage any water to drain away.
• Use the right tools, and the best quality you can afford, and make sure your blades are clean and sharp for a clean cut. This will prevent the cut forming rough edges that may introduce disease.

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