Autumn is usually a time for us to get out into the garden and start preparing for winter. Giving the lawn a last mow, cleaning and putting away our tools, and cleaning up pruning plants. All important tasks which we need to do before the inclement weather begins to roll in.

Pruning is particularly important as we want the plants to be healthy and come back stronger in spring. So, it’s tempting to whip out the pruning shears and attack everything. But there are some plants which benefit from not being pruned.

There are three main reasons why pruning some plants in autumn may not be a good idea:

1 - Some plants produce their new blooms on old wood. If we remove that old wood, then naturally enough the new blooms would have nowhere to grow in the new year.

2 - With bushy and thick growing plants it’s often difficult to see what we’re removing. We run the risk of damaging the plant. In these instances, it may be better to do nothing and leave the plant to its own devices.

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3 - We prune plants to encourage new growth. But if that new growth occurs too quickly the plant will suffer from the wintry weather with the growth of new blooms being hindered rather than encouraged.

That being said, the majority of shrubs and bushes will benefit from autumnal pruning. But which are the ones we should leave alone? Here are some of the plants you should avoid pruning in autumn.

Rhododendron

A wonderful flowering evergreen shrub, rhododendrons add colour and interest to the garden all year round. They grow their flowers on old wood so you should never prune your rhododendron in autumn.

If your plant does need cutting back, it’s best to do it in spring after it stops blooming. Deadwood and foliage can of course be removed at any time.

Crab apple trees

Crab apples don’t need much pruning anyway, but a little attention will help control their shape and help the tree stay healthy. If you are going to prune your crab apple, do it in early spring once the worst of the weather is out of the way.

Azalea

A lovely full plant which adds a lot of colour, azaleas shouldn’t be pruned in autumn. They don’t need much attention anyway but a little bit of pruning in spring can help them become even more bushy the following year.

Lilac

Lilac bushes are beautiful, and they should be pruned back, or they will take over the garden. You can be aggressive when pruning your lilacs and can cut away around a third of the bush. However, because the blooms grow on old wood you should avoid trimming them in autumn. The best time to prune is when the blooms start to fade.

Forsythia

Forsythia is a fast-growing plant so does benefit from being cut back. The best time to do this is in the spring after all its flowers have bloomed. If you leave it until autumn to prune a forsythia, you’ll reduce the number of blooms the following year.

We have a stunning collection of ornamental trees, shrubs, and hedging available all year round. See what’s fresh from the nursery today.