As gardens begin to look a little ragged and flowers start to fade in the warmer months, the urge to grab the secateurs can be overwhelming. However, one expert has flagged this as a widespread seasonal blunder.
Peter Dowdall, also known as The Irish Gardener, is calling on gardeners to resist the temptation, warning of the very real risks of cutting and pruning too soon, especially when it comes to hydrangeas. He explained: 'People see a plant looking a bit wild or past its best and instinctively want to tidy everything immediately. But in many cases, cutting back too early can weaken plants, reduce flowering next year and remove valuable habitat for wildlife and pollinators.'
Peter has spent over three decades working in gardens, and one of the most frequent errors he comes across at this time of year involves gardeners heavily pruning shrubs and perennials during spells of warm, dry weather. He elaborated: 'When plants are already under stress from heat, wind or lack of moisture, hard cutting back can add another layer of stress. A plant needs foliage to photosynthesise and recover. Removing too much growth during hot conditions can sometimes do more harm than good.'
When it comes to the one flowering plant that demands extra care, Peter singled out hydrangeas. He explained: 'A lot of people panic when hydrangeas begin to look tired or floppy in heat and immediately start cutting bits off. Usually the issue is stress or lack of moisture rather than the plant needing pruning.'
Rather than hastily tidying up gardens, Peter recommends focusing on enhancing growing conditions. He noted the climate is shifting and gardens need to become more resilient, with healthy soil being 'absolutely central' to achieving that. He shared: 'Mulching around plants helps suppress weeds competing for moisture, slows evaporation from the soil and improves soil structure over time.'
Peter also recently spoke about another frequent error during heatwaves: watering plants little and often. He explained that this approach often only dampens the surface of the soil and can weaken plants over time, creating plants that become reliant on continuous watering. He emphasised that one deep soak is 'worth far more than five quick splashes' and that watering during the middle of the day is 'incredibly inefficient' due to evaporation. Instead, he recommends watering plants either first thing in the morning or later in the evening.
