Should I be pruning yet?

I have a few plants in the garden that require pruning in late winter, should I be out there doing it now as I keep reading and hearing on the radio or should I be waiting until the chance of frost has past? There seems to be a lot of conflicting advice out there.

I have a group 3 Clematis which needs to be cut down to 8" and a group 2 Clematis that needs trimming.

I also have hardy Osteospurmums and Rudbeckia Summerina.

I hand over to the more experienced gardeners. My garden is still only in it's second year so I have no experience to go on.

Thank you.

Re: Should I be pruning yet?

I got fed up of fighting my way to the bird table so I took the secateurs to some shrubs, I may regret it...

Re: Should I be pruning yet?

I have done things like that in my last garden and everything survived but it had been established over twenty years or so. It used to be a case of reducing everything but at the moment, I'm trying to increase everything.

Perhaps we all worry about pruning too much and should just do it when the time feels right.

Re: Should I be pruning yet?

Well LD, it is late winter so I would say get stuck in whilst the plants are still dormant.....

Re: Should I be pruning yet?

Thanks Barry.

There is some very cold weather forecast so do you think that would be a problem or would the plants just sort themselves out?

Re: Should I be pruning yet?

Yes, and now is the last window to prune roses.... at least here!

Re: Should I be pruning yet?

The frost shouldn't be a problem LD so better to do it now before the sap starts to rise, and the plants then won't have to waste their energy rejuvenating parts of the plant that you intend to cut off anyway...

Re: Should I be pruning yet?

Thanks Barry.

I shall get started.

Re: Should I be pruning yet?

I never prune hydrangeas until the frost has gone. I leave the old flower heads on til then.
Did you know in France people were stealing hydragea heads to smoke?

Re: Should I be pruning yet?

Hi Bobby.

I think that's one of the problems with the internet, your zones being different to our zones. It makes it a bit confusing at times. Also there seems to be a slight difference between north and south Britain.