Monty Don has advised gardeners to “clip them now” as he opened up about a “really important” type of plant we should address before winter. In the latest episode of BBC Gardeners’ World, the well-known horticulturalist could be seen snipping a phillyrea bush (phillyrea angustifolia) with a set of shears, something he admitted had become one of his best-loved evergreens.
Monty noted that the plant, part of the olive family, has white fragrant flowers in the springtime, “copes very well” in adverse weather, namely heat and drought, and becomes denser the “more you clip it”. He also described how the evergreen is suitable for cloud pruning, a Japanese form of training trees and shrubs so you can cut them to resemble clouds, but cautioned us that we’re now approaching a time when his garden will die back. Despite this, Monty also explained that we can perform a certain task now that will mean “important” evergreens will “barely grow” over the cold winter months.
He said: “It lends itself to cloud pruning, but won’t be long before all this (gesturing to his wider garden) dies back, and the garden is looking a bit stark. And that’s where clipped evergreens, be it yew, box, holly, lonicera or phillyrea like this, start to become really important.
“So, if you clip them now and get them into the shape you want, they’ll barely grow throughout winter, hold that shape, and give you winter green, which is really important, and winter structure.”
In other news, Monty recently took to his blog to highlight some of the garden plants we should trim in September, as well as several other crucial tasks we need to be aware of this month.
Starting with lavender, Monty noted that this fragrant variety should be tackled yearly to “avoid woody, leggy plants”. He said we should cut back to produce a neat form, but keep some of the fresh shoots.
The shoots will “grow fast and provide an attractive and healthy cover”, safeguarding the plant over winter and setting up the foundation for next year’s blooms.
The green-fingered presenter also turned his attention to shrub roses, which reportedly should be trimmed to generate the conditions required for more robust growth.
On the subject of gallicas, English roses, albas, or hybrid perpetuals, Monty said these types are “best simply trimmed with shears any time this month”.
The gardener advised: “Do not worry about the position or angle of the cuts, but clip away all long and straggly shoots as though you were trimming a hedge. Leave a compact, slightly domed bush that is about two-thirds of its former size.”
Finally, when it comes to raspberries (summer-fruiting), this month marks the time that gardeners should cut down the brown canes to ground level (ensuring the new canes remain in place).
It was advised that gardeners trim them down to the six strongest shoots, with those remaining securely held for the following year.
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