Prune before spring arrives

Ruth tools-up for the season's last cuts

DECIDUOUS trees and shrubs will soon be starting to unfurl their leaves so you've got a couple of weeks left to finish any winter pruning that's needed.

Leave alone early-flowering varieties such as forsythia and shrubs that bloom in early summer, including weigela and philadelphus. Also ignore plum, gage and cherry trees until summer, when they are less vulnerable to silver leaf disease.

When tackling other trees now, create an open goblet shape that lets plenty of light and air through to the flowers and fruit. Congested trees have poor airflow in their hearts, which can cause moulds and rotting of blossom and fruits.

If you need to hard prune an overgrown tree or shrub, consider doing it in three stages, cutting back a third of the unruly growth every winter over a three-year period.