Late Summer Shrub Care

Tend to woody herbs, roses and potted plants, says Ruth

- Ruth Hayes

As summer wends its way towards the final curtain – hopefully with a last hurrah of heat and sunshine – I have been spending time nurturing our smaller woody shrubs and carrying out last-minute midsummer pruning.

This is the most important task as from September, silver leaf spores will start circulating again with the potential to infect late-pruned cherry, plum, gage, almond and apricot trees.

It is a debilitating problem that turns the foliage a silvery colour before infecting woody material, and it enters the plant through pruning wounds. The spores are most widespread during damp spells in autumn and winter, which is why vulnerable trees are cut back in summer, when there is less chance of infection.

Always use clean, sharp pruning tools that are cleaned and disinfected after use, and burn or dispose of any removed material that shows signs of the disease.