Although pruning is often associated with winter, July presents an ideal opportunity for gardeners to perform restorative pruning and correct any earlier mistakes like over-pruning. With foliage fully developed, it’s easier to spot weak, damaged, or diseased parts of plants, allowing for precise trimming that promotes health and vitality.
It’s important to avoid heavy pruning during summer, reserving major structural cuts for winter to prevent undue stress and loss of valuable buds. Gardening authority Monty Don advises pruning four specific plants in July to maintain healthy growth and prolong flowering throughout the season.
Pruning these plants now not only improves their condition but also opens room in the garden for tender annuals and perennials to thrive. Monty emphasizes removing all pruned material from the area, tidying up with weeding, watering if necessary, and ensuring perennials have enough space and light to encourage another bloom cycle later in summer.
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For ramblers, which finish flowering around this time, Monty recommends pruning immediately after the flowering period. Ramblers are typically vigorous, producing masses of small flowers that do not repeat, unlike other rose types. This pruning involves cutting back this year’s growth to a couple of pairs of leaves—about two to four inches—while taking care not to remove developing fruit. This cut allows better sunlight penetration and air circulation, preventing overcrowded growth without stimulating excessive new shoots.
When tending currants, gardeners should remove new growth at the center of the bush and trim desirable shoots by roughly one-third. This opening up lets light and air reach the wood, promoting proper maturation and spur formation for next year’s harvest. Blackcurrants can undergo more substantial pruning post-harvest, with up to a third of the bush trimmed back to maintain vigor and productivity.
By following Monty Don’s July pruning advice, gardeners can ensure their plants remain healthy, productive, and beautifully flowering throughout the summer months and beyond.