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SAVE OUR FLOWERS!

Stop cutting at the wrong time

A Hollyoaks Gardens garden tip

30 common flowering shrubs in Kent gardens, and the months you should never cut them. One wrong trim can wipe out a whole year of flowers, and the bees go hungry.

🐝 Feed the bees🦋 Help butterflies🐦 Berries for birds

Why we're making a fuss

Every year, thousands of shrubs lose their flowers to the hedge trimmer.

Across Bromley and Kent we see it all the time. Lots of inexperienced and weekend gardeners give their shrubs a tidy in autumn or winter, meaning well. Then spring comes and the forsythia, lilac or hydrangea that should be covered in flowers produces nothing but leaves.

That's because many flowering shrubs make next year's flower buds months before they open, often straight after they finish flowering. Cut them at the wrong time and you cut next year's flowers off with them.

No flowers means no nectar and no pollen. Bees, butterflies, hoverflies and moths lose a vital food source, fewer flowers get pollinated, and fewer berries form for birds in winter. A garden full of flowers at the right time is one of the easiest ways to help local wildlife.

So here is our list of 30 common flowering shrubs, and the months when you should leave your shears in the shed.

RULE 1

Flowers before mid-June? Prune straight after flowering.

These flower on last year's growth. Prune as soon as the flowers fade, then leave them alone until they flower again.

RULE 2

Flowers from mid-summer? Prune in late winter or early spring.

These flower on new growth made the same year. Cut them back in February to April, never in summer.

Spring & early summer flowerers

Shrubs 1 to 20 flower on last year's stems (Rule 1). The red months are when their next flowers are already forming.

Don't cutBest time to pruneLight tidy onlyIn flower

Forsythia

Don't cutJul – Mar

Best time to prune: Apr – May · Flowers: Mar – Apr

Next spring's yellow buds are already on the stems by late summer. Cut it in autumn or winter and you cut the show off.

Flowering currant

Ribes sanguineum

Don't cutJul – Mar

Best time to prune: Apr – May · Flowers: Mar – Apr

An early feast for queen bumblebees coming out of hibernation. Prune straight after the pink flowers fade.

Japanese quince

Chaenomeles

Don't cutAug – Apr

Best time to prune: May – Jun · Flowers: Feb – Apr

Flowers on short spurs made the summer before. Shorten long shoots after flowering, never in winter.

Camellia

Camellia japonica

Don't cutJul – Mar

Best time to prune: Apr – May · Flowers: Feb – Apr

Fat flower buds form in summer and sit all winter. Any shaping must be done by the end of May.

Star magnolia

Magnolia stellata

Don't cutSep – Apr

Best time to prune: Jun – Jul · Flowers: Mar – Apr

Needs very little pruning. If you must, do it lightly in midsummer when it heals best, never in winter.

Rhododendron & azalea

Rhododendron

Don't cutAug – May

Best time to prune: Jun – Jul · Flowers: Apr – Jun

Snap off the dead flower heads and trim straight after flowering. Next year's buds appear within weeks.

Lilac

Syringa vulgaris

Don't cutAug – May

Best time to prune: Jun · Flowers: May

Prune as soon as the scented flowers go over. By August the new flower buds are set at the shoot tips.

California lilac

Ceanothus

Don't cutSep – May

Best time to prune: Jun – Jul · Flowers: May – Jun

A bee magnet. Trim lightly after flowering and never cut back into old bare wood, as it rarely regrows.

Mexican orange blossom

Choisya ternata

Don't cutAug – May

Best time to prune: Jun · Flowers: Apr – May

Trim after the spring flowers and it will often flower again in autumn. Leave it alone over winter.

Bridal wreath

Spiraea

Don't cutJul – Apr

Best time to prune: May – Jun · Flowers: Apr – May

The arching white sprays grow on last year's stems. Cut out a few old stems right after flowering.

Kerria (Japanese rose)

Kerria japonica

Don't cutJul – Apr

Best time to prune: May – Jun · Flowers: Apr – May

Cut flowered stems down to strong new shoots as soon as the yellow pom-poms finish.

Pieris

Pieris japonica

Don't cutJul – Apr

Best time to prune: May · Flowers: Mar – Apr

Lily-of-the-valley style flowers in spring. Only deadhead and lightly shape after flowering.

Weigela

Weigela florida

Don't cutAug – May

Best time to prune: Jun – Jul · Flowers: May – Jun

Cut the flowered stems back to strong new shoots in early summer. Those new shoots carry next year's flowers.

Deutzia

Don't cutAug – Jun

Best time to prune: Jul · Flowers: Jun

Prune in July once flowering is over, taking a third of the oldest stems to the ground.

Mock orange

Philadelphus

Don't cutSep – Jun

Best time to prune: Jul – Aug · Flowers: Jun – Jul

That orange-blossom scent comes from last year's wood. Prune straight after flowering, never in winter.

Firethorn

Pyracantha

Don't cutOct – Jun

Best time to prune: Jul · Flowers: May – Jun

Flowers for bees, then berries for birds. Trim in July, checking first for nesting birds, and keep the berry clusters.

Darwin's barberry

Berberis darwinii

Don't cutAug – Apr

Best time to prune: May – Jun · Flowers: Apr – May

Bright orange flowers loved by bees. Trim straight after flowering. Wear gloves!

Laurustinus

Viburnum tinus

Don't cutAug – Mar

Best time to prune: Apr – May · Flowers: Nov – Apr

Flowers right through winter when little else does. Trim in spring as flowering ends, not before.

Mahonia (Oregon grape)

Mahonia

Don't cutSep – Feb

Best time to prune: Mar – Apr · Flowers: Nov – Mar

Winter food for bees on mild days. Cut back leggy stems in early spring once the flowers fade.

Mophead & lacecap hydrangea

Hydrangea macrophylla

Don't cutMay – Feb

Best time to prune: Mar – Apr · Flowers: Jul – Sep

The most common mistake we see. Leave the old heads on all winter, then in spring cut them off just above the first pair of fat buds. Don't cut the stems back hard.

Summer flowerers

Shrubs 21 to 30 flower on this year's new growth (Rule 2). Cutting them in spring or summer removes the flowers before they open.

Don't cutBest time to pruneLight tidy onlyIn flower

Panicle hydrangea

Hydrangea paniculata & 'Annabelle'

Don't cutMay – Sep

Best time to prune: Feb – Mar · Flowers: Jul – Sep

Unlike mopheads, these flower on new growth. Cut back in late winter, never in summer.

Butterfly bush

Buddleja davidii

Don't cutMay – Sep

Best time to prune: Mar · Flowers: Jul – Sep

Cut hard back in March. Cutting in summer removes the flowers butterflies depend on. Deadheading is fine.

Lavender

Lavandula angustifolia

Don't cutMay – Jul, Oct – Mar

Best time to prune: Aug – Sep · Flowers: Jun – Aug

Trim after flowering in late summer, keeping some green on every stem. Never cut into old woody stems.

Hardy fuchsia

Fuchsia magellanica

Don't cutJun – Mar

Best time to prune: Apr · Flowers: Jul – Oct

Leave the old stems over winter to protect the plant. Cut back in April when new shoots appear at the base.

Shrub rose

Rosa

Don't cutMay – Sep

Best time to prune: Feb – Mar · Flowers: Jun – Sep

Main prune in late winter. In summer only deadhead, as cutting stems back removes the flower buds.

Escallonia

Don't cutMar – Aug

Best time to prune: Sep – Oct · Flowers: Jun – Sep

A favourite Kent hedge. Trim once flowering finishes in autumn, not in spring or summer while it's in bud and birds are nesting.

Hebe

Hebe (shrubby veronica)

Don't cutJun – Aug, Oct – Mar

Best time to prune: Apr, Sep · Flowers: Jun – Sep

Light trim only, in spring or just after flowering. Avoid cutting in autumn and winter when frost damages the cuts.

Shrubby cinquefoil

Potentilla fruticosa

Don't cutMay – Oct

Best time to prune: Feb – Mar · Flowers: May – Oct

Flowers all summer on new shoots. Give it a trim in late winter and leave it alone while it flowers.

Tree hibiscus

Hibiscus syriacus

Don't cutJun – Oct

Best time to prune: Apr · Flowers: Aug – Oct

One of the last shrubs to wake up. Prune in April; summer cuts take away the late flowers.

St John's wort

Hypericum 'Hidcote'

Don't cutMay – Sep

Best time to prune: Mar · Flowers: Jun – Oct

Flowers on new growth all summer. Cut back in March, never once the buds are forming.

🐦

Check for nests first. Most wild birds, their nests and eggs are protected by law (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981). The main nesting season runs from March to August, so always look carefully before trimming any shrub or hedge in those months.

Photo credits

Forsythia: photo by Jerzy Opioła (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Flowering currant: photo by Mark Robinson from Williton, UK (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Japanese quince: photo by Abraham Jacobus Wendel (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Camellia: photo by PumpkinSky (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Star magnolia: photo by Myrabella (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Rhododendron & azalea: photo by albert kok (CC BY 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Lilac: photo by Jjron (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
California lilac: photo by A. Barra (CC BY 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Mexican orange blossom: photo by JLPC (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Bridal wreath: photo by No machine-readable author provided. Prazak assumed (based on copyright claims). (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Kerria (Japanese rose): photo by Yoshutten (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Pieris: photo by Stan Shebs (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Weigela: photo by Emőke Dénes (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Deutzia: photo by Mason Brock (Masebrock) (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Mock orange: photo by No machine-readable author provided. Rainer Bielefeld assumed (based on copyright claims). (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Firethorn: photo by Wilhelm Zimmerling PAR (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Darwin's barberry: photo by Evelyn Simak (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Laurustinus: photo by Didier Descouens (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Mahonia (Oregon grape): photo by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Mophead & lacecap hydrangea: photo by belvedere04 (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Panicle hydrangea: photo by Hedwig Storch (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Butterfly bush: photo by --IKAl 15:22, 23 July 2007 (UTC) (CC BY-SA 2.5), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Lavender: photo by Isiwal (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Hardy fuchsia: photo by Unknown (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Shrub rose: photo by Qwert1234 (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Escallonia: photo by Forest & Kim Starr (CC BY 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Hebe: photo by User:ShineB (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Shrubby cinquefoil: photo by Walter Siegmund (talk) (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
Tree hibiscus: photo by Eric Kounce TexasRaiser (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized
St John's wort: photo by Predatorsmandibles (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons, resized

Not sure what you've got? We'll prune it at the right time.

Hollyoaks Gardens has looked after Bromley gardens for over 18 years. Our maintenance team knows exactly when to cut, so your garden keeps its flowers.

Get a free quote →Call 07521 929 434