Project Garden

Pruning in winter can be brilliant — but only if you know what you’re cutting. Here’s a simple, UK-friendly guide for December.

What you can do in winter

• Remove dead, damaged or diseased wood (any time of year)
• Tidy roses lightly to prevent wind rock (save hard pruning for late winter/early spring)
• Prune deciduous shrubs if they’re overcrowded (when fully dormant)
• Cut back tired perennials (leave a few seed heads for birds/wildlife if you can)

What to be careful with

• Spring-flowering shrubs (like forsythia) — don’t prune now or you’ll lose spring flowers
• Lavender — avoid hard winter cuts; it dislikes sitting wet and cold after pruning
• Hedges — avoid heavy cuts in winter storms; and always consider wildlife shelter

A tidy approach that helps wildlife

Leaving some stems and seed heads over winter supports birds and insects. You can always do a bigger tidy in February.