Pruning certain plants at the right time of year is really important, and July is one of those prime months.
Pruning Early flowering shrubs help keep them healthy and growing well. It prevents disease, encourages better growth and more flowering – depending on what your plant is – and helps keep the plant in good shape.
Our experts give us the top five varieties to harvest this month and why.
1. Weigl
(Image credit: Getty Images/Feifei Cui-Paoluzzo)
Weigela is a favorite among those who want to attract as many pollinators as possible – bees and butterflies love it!
Lucy Bradley, gardening and greenhouse expert Easy irrigation in the garden, explains, ‘Weigela is an easy-to-grow deciduous shrub whose fertile tubular, bell-shaped flowers appear in late spring to early summer and are rich in nectar.’
‘To produce a dense, colorful display of flowers the following year, it is important that you prune the weigela as soon as it flowers. Pruning late in the year means you risk fewer or no blooms as it sets its flower buds for next year on the previous season’s growth.’
Cut the stems as soon as the flowers begin to fade. ‘Using a sharp pair of bypass secateurs to cut it further down to a healthy node or lateral stem. At the same time, remove any damaged, diseased or crossing stems to improve air flow through the plant,’ advises Lucy.
If you like the idea of weigela, take a look at this beauty All Summer Peach variety with its apricot colored flowers, £25.99 for a two liter pot, Crocus. For a richer color scheme, we like Thompson & Morgan’s Tower of Flowers Cherry, currently £12.99 for a 9cm pot.
2. Sweet peas
(Image credit: Getty Images)
A variety you might not even think of ‘harvesting’ is sweet peas. It’s more of a picking and deadheading activity, but one that is essential at this time of year.
‘s secret Sweet peas It’s simple: the more you pick, the more they grow! Keep harvesting flowers for your indoor vases and cut off any spent heads before going to seed to keep the blooms coming,’ says Noah Maybe, Senior Gardener. Thornbridge Hall and horticultural consultant Platinum Spas.
You can still buy sweet peas, and we recommend plug plants – Suttons have this lovely barbie mix, which has an excellent scent, £9.99 for a 9cm pot..
3. Rambling roses
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Rambling roses usually only bloom as annuals, so to encourage growth and good health, they need pruning during the summer.
Horticulturist and commercial director Richard Barker says, ‘Rambling roses usually flower in June, and can flower well without pruning in their early years. LBS Horticulture.
‘However, once established, the Roses will require annual pruning. After flowering, cut the side shoots back to a few healthy shoots. Remove dead, diseased and damaged growth just below the base. Avoid cutting the current year’s growth, as it will carry flowers the following year.’
‘When a rose flower fades, don’t just cut off the head, cut the spent stem back to a healthy cluster of five leaves,’ says Noah. This plant does the trick to push out another gorgeous bloom.’
For a country cottage style rambling rose, take a look at this one Yellow Banksia ‘Lutea’ variety, which is a vigorous climber and comes in a 3-litre pot, £39.99, Sutton.
4. Apple and pear trees
(Image credit: Future plc)
According to Richard, there are a few rules of thumb when it comes to Fruit tree pruning.
‘Standard fruit trees, or those that have no formal shape, are best pruned when they are dormant, between November and March. However, fan-trained and espalier trees have a formal shape and should be pruned again in summer.’
So if the lower third of your tree looks woody and sturdy, that’s a sign of pruning the current year’s shoots. Begin by removing dead, diseased and damaged stems or any vigorous upright branches growing above the top branches. The shoots that need to be pruned are those that were produced this year, usually side shoots from the main branches. These should be cut to within a few leaves of the previous year’s growth. Pruning should be done just above the leaf joints, and all lateral shoots should be shortened, leaving unpruned shoots only if necessary to extend the main structure of the tree..’
Noah has a top tip for growing apples and pears: ‘They often overproduce, so if you see large, crowded clusters of fruit, thin them to just two or three healthy fruits per cluster. This ensures that the tree puts its energy into growing large, healthy fruits rather than a crowd of smaller ones.’
If you like to grow apples, then ‘Cox Orange Pippin’ is a very popular variety and can withstand the UK climate. You can currently buy two 12-litre pots for £69.99 or one for £99.90 from Dobies.
Gardening Express has a pair of Conference and Williams pear trees for £79.99The tree will not grow taller than 10 feet, so you can always reach the fruit.
5. Honeysuckle Climbing
(Image credit: Getty Images/HSVRS)
If your Honeysuckle Flowering in early summer, it should be pruned after flowering.
‘Prune the plant back to about a third to maintain a neat shape, but don’t remove dead flower buds as they will become berries,’ explains Richard. Flowers that bloom in summer should be pruned back in spring. As these flower on the current season’s growth, they should not be cut back too hard, or you risk losing the flowers.’
Honeysuckle has a lovely sweet scent and is a firm favorite of bees, butterflies and birds. For more classic variations, check out A variety of Serotina which has a wonderful country cottage look, currently £11 for three 9cm pots from Thompson & Morgan.
If you want to do something different, then consider Sutton Sentation with its yellow and ivory blossoms, £29.99 for a 3-litre pot.
Pruning requirements
Spear & Jackson 7159BS RazorSharp Advantage Bypass Secateurs
These secateurs have a bypass action that reduces stem bruising on green stems, they have a super sharp upper blade and ergonomic handles for comfort.
Kent & Stowe Bamboo Gardening Gloves are hypoallergenic and flexible for pruning and planting.
These super soft gardening gloves are extremely flexible for precise handling while still protecting your hands. Hypoallergenic as well as antibacterial, they are also protective.
Flexi Tub Garden Rubber Storage Container, 14L, Green
Use this handy tub for your pruning clippings so you can easily transport them to the compost bin. Comes in three sizes and eight other colors.
Thoroughly pruning the right plants at the right time of the year will ensure they stay healthy, disease-free and in good shape.
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