March ‘a time for pruning’

March is the time in the horticultural year to get out the shears and prune back any unruly foliage in gardens, greenhouses and conservatories.

The BBC explains that roses should have any damaged, diseased or dead stems removed this months and that stems should be cut back to an outward-facing bud on the bush variety of the plant.

Furthermore, the stems of willows, dogwoods, ceratostigma and hardy fuchsias should also be trimmed back hard as this will encourage fresh new growth to take place.

Tall stems on Buddleia davidii should also be chopped down to emerging shoots lower down on the plant as this will shape the shrub and help to control its size.

Finally, summer-flowering clematis should also have all of the previous year‘s growth pruned out, with any tangled old stems cut down to a pair of new shoots near ground level.

Meanwhile, the Royal Horticultural Society recently advised gardeners to prune back pot-grown fuchsias in March and place them in a well-lit spot to re-shoot.