Last chance summer pruning

Ruth gives trained fruit trees and flowered shrubs a trim

- Ruth Hayes

THIS week I will be finishing off my summer pruning before cleaning and sharpening my tools and setting them aside until I return to the task of cutting back in autumn and winter.

Shrubs that flower in late summer, evergreen bushes, unruly ornamental hedges and trained fruit trees are all in the line of fire at this time of year.

This is also your last chance to prune plums, cherries and other varieties vulnerable to silver leaf disease, as the spores of this fungal problem will start increasing by the end of this month and moving into September.

While you are doing this, look for signs of pests and disease and other conditions such as drought stress. This is especially important for trees and shrubs planted last winter, as they need the ground to remain damp – or, at least, not severely dehydrated – in order to get established properly and fulfill their flowering and fruiting potential.