Pruning time part 1!

July is a busy month for the secateur!

Lots of early-flowering perennials will have run out of steam, but this doesn't mean they're dying and it doesn't necessarily mean they are done for the year either.

Although it can be worth leaving seedheads for the birds in winter, they usually have plenty else to eat at this time of year so you are better off having a tidy-up (unless you are particularly hoping for some free plants - but note some have a much better germination rate than others).

Knowing what to do with your plants is infinitely easier if you know what they are, because then you can look it up. It feels very keen, but keep your plants labelled!

Failing that, go back in time to see what happened to them in winter. Did they die back to virtually nothing, did they leave a woody framework, or did they just about hang in there with some slightly sad looking leaves? When it comes to perennial pruning, nature is very helpful as your guide, as you will want to mimic this.

Why cut back in summer? It's not just about prettying up your borders. Flowers are all about reproduction. Every perennial's New Year resolution is to make flowers, attract pollinating insects to them to do their magic, form seed, make plant babies and then they can die down for the rest of the year. If you cut off the old flowers before they have a chance to set seed, many plants will have another crack at the whole cycle, meaning you get to enjoy a second flush of flowers (and so do the pollinators too).

As a broad rule of thumb, if it's evergreen it's a case of taking out the old flower stems and just removing grotty growth. This includes Euphorbias (wear gloves to avoid getting the sap on your skin), Dianthus (aka garden pinks), Helianthemums (aka rock rose), Geum, Heucheras, Hellebores, Bergenias, Sisyrinchium and Penstemon. Although evergreen, Brunneras and Pulmonarias look better for having everything cut off to a couple of inches.

If it's woody (it's probably technically a shrub) like a Salvia Hot Lips or Perovskia, cut back by half, and trim out any clutter and wonky bits while you're there.

Most others will do best cut back to just a couple of inches. Why not just cut off the faded flowers? Because the leaves are usually getting pretty tired and cutting will give you lots of fresh verdant regrowth to enjoy.

Plants to get the 'Wimbledon Tournament Trim' (ahem) include, deep breath:

Alchemilla, Agastache, Aquilegia (columbine/Granny’s bonnet), Centranthus (valerian), Delphinium, Gallardia, Geranium, Gypsophilia, Lupin, Lychnis, Oenothera (evening primrose), Salvia nemorosa types,  Verbascum, Dicentra (bleeding heart), Digitalis (foxglove), Hosta,  Lamium, Polemonium (Jacob’s ladder), Alcea (hollyhock),  Astrantia, Campanula (bellflower), Centaurea (cornflower), Coreopsis,  Knautia,  Leucanthemum (Chrysanthemum family),  Linaria, Lobelia, Lysimachia, Lythrum, Monarda (bergamot), Nepeta (catmint),  Papaver (poppy), Persicaria, Phlox, Potentilla, Physostegia, Sanguisorba, Scabiosa,  Stachys, Symphyandra, Tanacetum (tansy),  Teucrium, Thalictrum, Tradescantia, Trifolium (clover), Veronica.

With Erysimums (shrubby wallflowers) it depends on whether they are evergreen or not. Most get cut hard but you definitely shouldn't do that to Bowles Mauve.

With all perennial pruning, when to cut comes down to personal judgement. If you have the time, remove spent flowers individually, but with plants with numerous small flowers such as Geraniums or Nepetas it is easier to decide the balance between nice and tatty has been tipped and it's time to get the secateurs out. Keep in mind the sooner you do it, the sooner you get the regrowth!