These no-prune plants will save you time and worry!
Have you ever found yourself asking any of the following questions? When do I prune this plant? What happens if I do it at the wrong time? Will I kill it if I cut it back too much? Pruning is surely the gardening task that causes the most confusion, so if you get yourself in a pickle over pruning, consider shrubs that don’t really need trimming at all.
Yes, there really are some shrubs that, although they may need minimal pruning if stems are damaged or growing in the wrong place, will otherwise benefit from being completely left alone to grow in peace.
The main reason some shrubs don’t need pruning is simply because they grow very slowly and a few seconds of pruning can undo several years of steady growth. They won’t send up long, vigorous shoots that seem to appear almost overnight in the way rambling roses, leylandii and some buddleja do; rather, the plant will naturally form a pleasing shape comprising strong, sturdy stems. Most of the shrubs featured here will also produce flowers on old as well as new growth, so pruning off old stems is likely to reduce the number of flowers you can get from the plant.
And if you’ve ever wondered why some large shrubs in nurseries or garden centres have such high price tags, one reason is because the plants have taken a long time to get to their size, so you’re paying for a lot of years of work.
So if you want an easy gardening life, it’s time to put down those secateurs and get planting some no-prune shrubs!
Ten of the
Deciduous daphnes are not easy plants to grow so save the secateurs if you’ve got yours to a good size! A mulch is the best thing you can give this plant right now to help the soil drain well. Grow in a sheltered spot in deep, fertile soil that doesn’t get waterlogged in winter for the best chance of a plant that shows off its beautiful clusters of fragrant flowers.
best
Always a spring favourite in acid soil or pots of ericaceous compost, these sturdy evergreens will grow best in light, dappled shade. If growing them in pots, make sure they’re watered each time the compost goes dry because the plants won’t initially give any outward signs of stress (shrivelled or yellowing leaves) when they need water.
If you’ve found a sheltered, partly shaded site with acid soil, away from gales and morning sun, then you’ve hit the camellia jackpot and it makes sense to let the plant grow big so you have as many of these gorgeous early spring flowers as possible. Give camellias growing in pots a feed with a liquid ericaceous fertiliser such as Doff Azalea, Camell
