As freezing temperatures approach British gardens, a gardening expert has shared guidance on which plants to avoid pruning this autumn to secure beautiful spring blooms. Pruning, the deliberate removal of plant parts such as branches, buds, or roots, is typically done to improve plant health, control growth, and encourage flowering or fruiting, often targeting dead or decaying sections.
Plants to Leave Untouched
Alex Dobson, garden and outdoor space specialist at Charles & Ivy, has identified four plants that UK gardeners should leave alone this autumn. For mophead or lacecap hydrangeas, he advises holding off pruning because these varieties may already have next year's flower buds forming on their stems. Cutting them back now could mean fewer flowers next summer.
Dobson recommends: "Leave the faded flowerheads in place over winter and remove any dead or damaged growth in spring." Similarly, lilac and forsythia should be pruned only after they have finished flowering, as both shrubs develop flowers on branches that grew the previous year. Autumn pruning could remove next spring's flower buds.
Protecting Vulnerable Plants
Penstemons, which can be vulnerable to cold conditions, especially in frost-prone gardens, should also be left alone. The expert advises: "In Autumn, leave the stems in place over winter to help protect the base of the plant. In spring, once the worst of the cold has passed, remove any dead or damaged growth."
Ornamental grasses, while not plants, should also be left unpruned during autumn. Although their foliage may look untidy when it turns brown, leaving them undisturbed throughout winter provides shelter for wildlife during the coldest months. Cutting them back should wait until early spring, making way for fresh growth.
