Thankfully Jack Stooks, former gardener to King Charles, has shared his ultimate pruning tips with us. “By cutting things down, you’re always trying to encourage growth to come from the very base of the plant,” he explained. “You want to have really sharp secateurs or a really nice sharp saw to use for the bigger branches,” Stooks said. “You can start pruning things from December into the early months of the year... you don’t want to be pruning when things are trying to grow.”For example, pruning forsythia in summer will mean it simply won’t flower, he explained. How can I tell if a plant needs pruning?

Source: Huffington Post March 24, 2026 08:29 UTC