Perfect Pruning

Description

Get to grips with pruning in your garden with this handy little guidebook from an experienced National Trust head gardener. Get to grips with pruning in your garden with this handy little guidebook from an experienced National Trust head gardener. It's packed with useful, easy-to-follow advice on pruning all the plants that need it, from individual roses to the hedge that encircles your garden, including shrubs, climbers and fruit trees along the way. The author discusses the best equipment for pruning, from simple secateurs and loppers to pruning saws and powerful chainsaws (though you'll need professional training for those). He includes an invaluable seasonal guide to pruning - find out why you should prune roses and lavender in autumn but keep your secateurs away from trees, and why spring is the best time to tackle buddleia to ensure a butterfly-filled summer. There is a useful section on the legislation around pruning, including dealing with potentially problematic plants such as leylandii, and fascinating practices such as coppicing, pollarding, pleaching and decorative topiary are also covered. Beautifully illustrated throughout, this practical guide contains all the advice you need to keep on top of your pruning and make your garden even more beautiful.

Simon Akeroyd is a garden writer with a passion for both kitchen gardening and cooking. He contributes to numerous magazines including Grow Your Own (as the Allotment Gardener) and was also a garden and food writer for the BBC. His books include Shrubs and Small Trees, Lawns and Ground Cover, RHS Allotment Handbook and Planner, A Small Course in Veg and Fruit, RHS Vegetables for the Gourmet Gardener, Raised-Bed Gardening and RHS Gardening School. He was previously a Garden Manager for the Royal Horticultural Society, and has worked at both RHS Wisley and Harlow Carr.