Winter Gardening

Quick Answer Sharpen secateurs and shears with a whetstone at a 20 to 25 degree bevel, working only the outer edge. Spades and hoes take a metal file, mower blades come off and go in a vice, never sharpened in place. Clean and oil every tool afterwards, and do a full service each autumn. Sharp […]

Quick Answer Prune apple trees between November and late February while they are dormant. Remove dead, damaged or crossing wood first, shorten this year’s new growth by a quarter, take out any double leaders, then thin congested growth back to an outward facing bud to keep an open goblet shape. Every garden should have at […]

Quick Answer Prune herbaceous perennials in late winter, from January to February, once plants are fully dormant and before new growth begins. Cut ground cover types back to around 5cm, taller perennials to between 6cm and 12cm, and only lightly tidy evergreen herbaceous plants. Leaving the dried stems in place over autumn and winter feeds […]

Quick Answer Prune gooseberries twice a year for the best crops. In winter, while the bush is dormant, remove dead and crossing wood, take out a third of the oldest stems and shorten the rest by a third to create an open goblet shape. In late June, trim the current season’s side shoots back to […]

Quick Answer Prune pear trees in late winter between January and March when the tree is fully dormant. Remove all dead, diseased and damaged wood first, then cut out any crossing branches. Finally, shorten the remaining laterals by up to one quarter, cutting to an outward-facing bud at 45 degrees. Never remove more than 25% […]

Quick Answer Repot houseplants in spring when roots are growing out of drainage holes, water runs straight through the pot, or growth has noticeably stalled. Move up only one pot size at a time, use the right compost for your plant type, and water thoroughly afterwards. Most houseplants need repotting every two to three years, […]

Quick Answer Medlars are an old fashioned, self-fertile fruit tree that is genuinely easy to grow in even a small UK garden, and one of the very few trees that fruits through winter. The fruit needs to be bletted, meaning left to soften and ripen off the tree for two to three weeks, before it […]

Quick Answer Prune most roses in the UK in February, cutting back to an outward-facing bud at a 45-degree angle. Remove all dead, damaged and diseased stems first, then prune crossing stems and reduce last season’s growth by one third. Always mulch and feed afterwards. Climbing roses are pruned in autumn after flowering; ramblers immediately […]

Quick Answer Tree grafting joins a scion (a cutting from your chosen variety) to a rootstock (which controls eventual tree size) using a clean angled cut, grafting tape, and sealing wax. Late winter to early spring is the best time for whip grafting in the UK, when trees are still dormant but sap is beginning […]

Quick Answer Prune Cornus (grown for winter colour) in late March to early April, once established for three or more years. Cut all stems back to around 10cm above ground level. This hard pruning, called coppicing, encourages vigorous new growth that produces the brightest stem colour the following winter. Young plants under three years old […]