Gardening tips for spring: What plants you need to prune

Jade Shemwell

In spring, you should prune plants like tender shrubs, ornamental grasses, and herbaceous perennials
March and April are also good months to plant perennials, as well vegetables and summer-flowering bulbs
When you’re gardening in spring, make sure you take care not to disturb wildlife
A good quality pair of pruners is important if you want to keep your plants healthy

Spring is a busy time of the year for gardeners, as warmer weather, longer days, and April showers spur plant growth. To mark National Gardening Week, in our latest blog we’re passing on some of the most important tips for spring gardening, including what to prune and why.

Photo credit – Yoksem, Unsplash

What plants need to be pruned in spring

Lots of plants need to be pruned in spring in UK gardens, to help make way for more growth while encouraging flowers, foliage, and colourful stems. Before you start, you’ll need a good pair of pruners in hand, which will make clean, precise cuts on your plants without tearing tissue, and reduce strain on your hands during long pruning sessions.

Got a high-quality set? Here’s what you need to prune:

Spring and summer flowering shrubs: Spring flowering shrubs like forsythia benefit from being cut back straight away after flowering to produce new growth, while summer flowering shrubs like fuchsia should be cut back hard in spring to encourage more flowers for the new season.
Tender shrubs: Plants like lavender can be left to prune until spring, as the old stems and flowers protect new shoots from frost in winter.
Herbaceous perennials: Herbaceous perennials like thistles can be cut back in spring, removing seedheads, stems, and thistles.
Ornamental grasses: From March onwards, you can cut back deciduous grasses with miscanthus which have stood over winter, removing brown growth while leaving any new green stems behind.
Plants with colourful winter stems: Cut plants like willow back in early spring, to encourage the growth of colourful winter stems.

As well as pruning, you should weed your beds and borders, clear away winter debris and fallen leaves, and give your lawn its first light mow, repairing dead patches with grass seed.

Photo credit – Natalie Kinnear, Unsplash

Sunlit pink Fuchsia flowers and green foliage set against a blue sky on a summer's day with some negative space top right. Photographed by Natalie Kinnear

Dahlias photographed by pen_ash for Unsplash

What you should plant in spring

Spring is a great time to start planting. If you grow vegetables, March and April are a good time to sow cold-hardy vegetables like carrots; herbs like parsley, coriander, and chives; and onions and potatoes. In mid to late spring, once the threat of frost has passed, you can start planting softer vegetables and fruits like tomatoes, courgettes, and peppers.

Flowers-wise, early spring is a good time to plant hardy perennials, while late April and May means time to plant bulbs like dahlias for summer colour. Spring is also an ideal time to plant evergreen shrubs like camelias, for year-round greenery in your garden.

Photo credit – pen_ash, Unsplash

The wildlife you should look out for when gardening

Many animals will have found a home in your garden over the winter months, and it’s important you remember when you’re tidying up and cutting back growth to look for nesting birds or hibernating hedgehogs.

When you cut back plants like herbaceous perennials, put them on an open compost heap, in case insects are still using them. Be gentle when moving piles of debris too; compost heaps could be home to frogs or toads, while insects like ladybirds, butterflies, and queen bees often hide in dead stems.

Photo credit – Lukas Seitz, Unsplash

Hedgehog photographed by Lukas Seitz for Unsplash

Using pruners for different garden tasks

Did you know that our Whiteley pruning scissors were originally created for the Post Office to cut through mail bag ties? We discovered they were also ideal for various gardening tasks, including cutting through vines and deadheading, as well as wreath making and flower arranging.

We have three sets: our chrome-plated ones, with painted green handles; our PTFE-coated ones which offer non-stick cutting, and our new, limited edition red and blue pruners, celebrating our British heritage.

A high-quality pair of sharp pruners is essential for maintaining plant health. Dull tools will crush and tear branches, leaving ragged edges that are more susceptible to pests and disease, while good pruners will last for years, making them a great long-term investment for an avid gardener.

The best tools, like the ones we make in our Sheffield factory, are ergonomically designed too, for more comfortable gardening.

Want to step up your gardening game this year? Check out our range of high-quality pruners here.