Gardening expert Monty Don has urged gardeners to prune six specific plants before the end of March to encourage new growth and lots of flowers this seasonAngela Patrone Senior Lifestyle Reporter and Ellen Jenne Senior U35 Spare Time Writer
07:50, 04 Mar 2026
Gardening expert Monty Don has urged gardeners to prune six specific plants before the end of March to encourage new growth and lots of flowers this season(Image: Mark de Leeuw via Getty Images)
Pruning is a vital gardening task for controlling growth, shaping plants, encouraging flowering or fruiting stems for the upcoming season, and, most importantly, removing dead, damaged or diseased parts of plants. According to gardening expert Monty Don, effective pruning must be done at the right time, which varies depending on the plant type, and should follow “one rule”.
Monty provided advice on when and how to prune plants this month in his March gardening tasks blog post. He suggested using extremely sharp and clean secateurs, also known as shears.
The most commonly employed tool for this purpose is bypass secateurs, which are essentially scissors with one slender and one thicker cutting blade.
They cause minimal damage to the stem, making them ideal for cutting living plants and lighter tasks such as snipping flowers.
The most frequently used tool for pruning is bypass secateurs(Image: Getty)
Gardeners could also utilise kitchen scissors for plants with soft stems, but they must be properly cleaned to avoid introducing infection, which could kill the plant.
Monty explained that the first two weeks of March represent the “best time to prune any shrubs and climbers” that will flower on new growth, particularly late-flowering clematis, roses and buddleia, reports the Express.
The horticultural expert noted that he prefers to do this when he “starts to see new shoots appearing”.
Gardeners are advised to “resist the temptation to do so” if February is mild, as a late frost could damage any emerging growth.
Plants including cornus, willow and sambucus can be drastically trimmed to promote new growth, which will “glow with extra bright colour next winter”.
As mentioned previously, Monty insists there’s “only one rule to follow” when cutting back, and that’s to “always cut back to something”, whether it’s a lateral branch or leaf bud.
Beyond that, the 70-year-old encouraged gardeners not to fret about outward-facing buds or other technicalities.
Monty explained that the purpose of pruning, following his rule, is to “encourage vigorous new growth that will, in turn, produce lots of flowers”.
For climbing types such as the Viticella group of clematis, trimming aims to prevent blooms from appearing progressively higher up the plant, leaving the bottom portion exposed.
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
Comments are closed.