Not all shrubs require pruning but you may want to consider it in order to shape the plant, to encourage vigorous growth, flowering or fruit production or to remove dead, damaged or diseased material.

Here is a beginners guide to pruning:

1. Pruning is best carried out immediately after flowering to ensure a good display the following year but a general pruning in Autumn is also usual particularly for roses
2. Always cut at a downward angle to allow rain to fall away and not sit on the cut
3. Pruning to remove spent flower heads is always a good idea as it stops the plant spending energy producing seed
4. Always use good quality, sharp, clean tools
5. Cut out dead or diseased stems right down to where they reach the roots or main stem
6. Take out any stems that cross over other stems as they will eventually join together and cause injury which can let in disease
7. Take a look at the plant and decide what size and shape you want and bear this is mind throughout the pruning process
8. Take a stem and starting at the tip look along it’s length to where it reaches the base. The “nodes” you see along the length are where either leaves, new stems or flowers will appear; you won’t know in advance which of these it will be
9. By pruning just before a node (i.e. before when looking from the tip to the base) you stimulate a chemical at the node which tells the plant to shoot out from there and produce a flower, leaf or another stem
10. If you prune after a node the chances are that the stem will die back from the end down to the next node and may even continue down the stem
11. To hard prune, count the number of nodes up the stem from the base; you should leave at least two nodes to allow for die-back so pruning just before the third node is usually ideal; this type of pruning produces new growth and reinvigorates the plant
12. For an annual prune when you just want to keep the shrub in shape so you should cut just above the node needed to maintain the shape; this type of pruning usually produces flowers and new leaves the following season

Next you can find out more about pruning specific types of plants:

Evergreens - During May cut out dead, weak or crossing branches and remove extra branches if the shrub is overcrowded. Examples: Camellia, Pieris, Rhododendron -

Early Flowering Deciduous Shrubs - Immediately after flowering cut out dead, weak or crossing branches and remove extra branches if the shrub is overcrowded. Cut back all branches which have flowered this year. Examples: Forsythia, Weigela, Deutzia, Philadelphus

Later Flowering Deciduous Shrubs - During January to March before the new growth appears cut out dead, weak or crossing branches and remove extra branches if the shrub is overcrowded. Cut back all old wood to the ground. Examples: Buddleia, Hypericum, Cornus

Damaged or Diseased Trees - Identify the diseased or damaged branches and cut back to healthy, clean wood.

Clematis

Group 1 - these are small-flowered species which flower in early spring on last season's growth Immediately after flowering remove dead or damaged stems, and reduce other stems if needed. To renovate an older plant cut back to 15-30cm (6-12in) from the base immediately after flowering

Group 2 - large-flowered, flowering May-June on the previous year's growth. Some flower again in summer on current season's growth. Remove dead and damaged stems in early spring before growth begins, trimming all remaining stems to a pair of strong buds. To rejuvenate a mature specimen remove old shoots during spring

Group 3 - flowers late summer on current season's growth. Cut back all growth to a pair of strong buds 15-20cm (6-8in) above soil level, before growth begins in early spring

• Autumn Pruning - Autumn is a very busy time of the year for gardeners. As the weather becomes colder and wetter and most plants in the garden will begin to lose their leaves and gradually become dormant; at this stage you can begin pruning. Pruning is carried out for a number of reasons: to manage the size of trees and ...
• How to Prune Wisteria - To ensure a good display of flowers Wisteria needs to be pruned twice a year. Make sure that your secateurs are sharp to avoid crushing or tearing the stems, which may lead to die-back.Tweet ...
• Gardening expert Geoff Hodge discusses the proper way to prune your garden - With the summers days having come to a close and the autumn winds getting evermore brisk, the time has come to get our gardens ready for winter so they don’t get damaged by wind, rain and snow.Tweet ...

We all fall into one of these two camps, and knowing which is the right approach will make a big difference this autumn and even through to next summer, when your plants will thank you for doing it right. There are dozens of different ways to cut back foliage, whether it’s getting rid of dead or dying growth, or pruning for flowering, fruiting or stem and leaf colour, and you can save yourself a lot of time with a quick tutorial from the experts.

Knowledge and skill aren’t all it takes to have the greenest garden – the tools and the confidence are also an essential part of proper pruning. Bosch introduces the world’s first secateur with integrated lithium-ion battery. The Ciso is a lightweight and cordless pruning device which can cut through twigs and branches up to 14mm on average at the press of a button. What’s more it can deliver more than 500 cuts through twigs with a diameter of nine millimetres with one battery charge. For those who have arthritis or RSI, this is the perfect solution to ensure you can get your garden looking its best – all the gain without the pain.

To start you off, check out this video with garden journalist Geoff Hodge as he shows you how and when to prune your garden and avoid it looking like a jungle...

To watch video CLICK HERE or take a look to the right.

You will see in the video that Bosch have introduced the world’s first secateur with integrated lithium-ion battery. The Ciso is a lightweight and cordless pruning device which can cut through twigs and branches up to 14mm on average at the press of a button. What’s more it can deliver more than 500 cuts through twigs with a diameter of nine millimetres with one battery charge. For those who have arthritis or RSI, this is the perfect solution to ensure you can get your garden looking its best – all the gain without the pain. Visit DIY Tools to buy this marvellous new tool.

• Autumn Pruning - Autumn is a very busy time of the year for gardeners. As the weather becomes colder and wetter and most plants in the garden will begin to lose their leaves and gradually become dormant; at this stage you can begin pruning. Pruning is carried out for a number of reasons: to manage the size of trees and ...
• The 12 Step Beginners Guide to Pruning - Not all shrubs require pruning but you may want to consider it in order to shape the plant, to encourage vigorous growth, flowering or fruit production or to remove dead, damaged or diseased material. Following pruning; feed and mulch to encourage strong, healthy growth.Tweet ...
• How to Prune Wisteria - To ensure a good display of flowers Wisteria needs to be pruned twice a year. Make sure that your secateurs are sharp to avoid crushing or tearing the stems, which may lead to die-back.Tweet ...

Winter Pruning - Between October and mid March cut back this season's growth to two or three buds from the base. Cut at an angle just above the bud. This will encourage the development of spurs which carry the flowers in spring.

Summer Pruning - Between late June and Mid August but ideally in April or May cut back the long vigorous shoots that have been produced during late spring and early summer. Cut just above a couple of buds from the base. If the plant is young and still being trained, select some of the stronger shoots to tie into the frame and cut back to this framework.

• The 12 Step Beginners Guide to Pruning - Not all shrubs require pruning but you may want to consider it in order to shape the plant, to encourage vigorous growth, flowering or fruit production or to remove dead, damaged or diseased material. Following pruning; feed and mulch to encourage strong, healthy growth.Tweet ...
• Gardening expert Geoff Hodge discusses the proper way to prune your garden - With the summers days having come to a close and the autumn winds getting evermore brisk, the time has come to get our gardens ready for winter so they don’t get damaged by wind, rain and snow.Tweet ...
• Autumn Pruning - Autumn is a very busy time of the year for gardeners. As the weather becomes colder and wetter and most plants in the garden will begin to lose their leaves and gradually become dormant; at this stage you can begin pruning. Pruning is carried out for a number of reasons: to manage the size of trees and ...

• The 12 Step Beginners Guide to Pruning - Not all shrubs require pruning but you may want to consider it in order to shape the plant, to encourage vigorous growth, flowering or fruit production or to remove dead, damaged or diseased material. Following pruning; feed and mulch to encourage strong, healthy growth.Tweet ...
• How to Prune Wisteria - To ensure a good display of flowers Wisteria needs to be pruned twice a year. Make sure that your secateurs are sharp to avoid crushing or tearing the stems, which may lead to die-back.Tweet ...
• Gardening expert Geoff Hodge discusses the proper way to prune your garden - With the summers days having come to a close and the autumn winds getting evermore brisk, the time has come to get our gardens ready for winter so they don’t get damaged by wind, rain and snow.Tweet ...