GARDENING EXPERTS RECOMMEND LIGHT AUTUMN PRUNING OVER HEAVY CUTTING

Leigh Hunt, principal horticultural advisor at the Royal Horticultural Society, has said gardeners should limit themselves to light tidying this autumn, with most heavier pruning left until spring. He said many plants have been affected by drought this year, meaning gardeners need to assess each one individually before cutting back. Hunt said any stems that are dead or dying can be removed at any time of year. Nick Hamilton, who runs Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland and is the son of the late Gardeners' World presenter Geoff Hamilton, said perennials that finished flowering earlier in the season, including delphiniums, lupins, phlox, geums and nepeta, can be cut back now.

Hamilton said other plants should be left for their appearance and value to wildlife through the colder months. He named eryngium, echinops, rudbeckia and heleniums as plants that look striking when covered in dew or frost, and said ornamental grasses should not be cut back too soon because they provide movement in the garden. He added that echinacea seedheads are a food source for birds and should be left in place, while hydrangea flowers can remain on plants to protect emerging shoots over winter and into early spring. Hamilton said penstemon should not be cut back hard until mid-April, though flower spikes can be tidied to a set of buds beforehand.

Hunt said peony leaves that remain green after their flowers have been cut back should also be left, as they continue converting sunlight into energy that feeds the rootstock, improving the following year's display. Hamilton advised giving lavender only a light trim with shears, warning that cutting it back too hard could leave it vulnerable if a harsh winter follows. He said lavender that failed to regrow after being trimmed in summer could either be left alone or given a light shaping cut. The guidance was issued as part of wider advice for gardeners preparing their outdoor spaces for the autumn and winter months.