When all is sog what is a gardener to do? Well they sharpen their secateurs and they set about a serious bit of pruning!
Hero had, I believe, a happy day pruning the grape vine. The vine is Hero’s baby and she is on a serious mission this year to get a good harvest. Everything has been done, within our control, to ensure that Cliffe Vintage 2013 will be a fine one. Pruning manuals obeyed, vine mulched and potashed. All we need now is a stonking summer.
Another massive undertaking in the garden is the yearly hydrangea prune as we have at least a million specimens (ok slight exaggeration but a lot believe me). We started enthusiastically and, some might say, brutally, yesterday. Hard cutting some of our shrubs that have got too large and are in need of rejuvenation. We will sacrifice this year’s flowers in the knowledge that next year they will be even better, with flowers at a height they can be appreciated. I was, however, a bit stumped when it came to pruning this Hydrangea microphylla “Ayesha”. The mild weather is all well and good but not only she has not lost any of her leaves, she is still actively growing and producing flowers. Its past your bed time, baby, you will never get up in the morning!
Hi Gill,
I thought you weren’t supposed to prune Hydrangeas until the Spring so the dead heads would help protect against frost?
The last thing I want to do is tempt fate ….. but we are so mild here and have so many to prune we have to start early. Good point though, top of the class!