Don't miss the window to cut these back
August is a useful time to give climbing plants a little attention. With many climbers still actively growing, a light prune can help keep vigorous stems under control, improve air circulation and, in some cases, encourage a better display of flowers next year.
From wisteria to rambling roses, these are the climbers worth pruning this month.
Wisteria is famous for its gorgeous flowers, but its long, whippy summer shoots can quickly become unruly. August is a good time to shorten this growth and keep the plant within its allotted space.
'Some of the most common climbers to prune in August include wisteria, whose long, whippy shoots can be cut back to around five or six leaves from the main framework,’ explains Peter Mortin, garden expert at Crane Garden Buildings. ‘This helps keep the plant under control and encourages the development of flowering spurs for next spring.’
Avoid cutting back the main framework unnecessarily, as these established stems form the structure of the plant. Tie in any useful new growth as you go – particularly if you are training wisteria against a wall, pergola or trellis.
If your summer-flowering jasmine has finished blooming, August is a good opportunity to give it a light tidy. Unlike a hard prune, this is more about maintaining its shape and removing growth that has become too vigorous.
'Summer-flowering jasmine can also be lightly pruned once it has finished blooming, removing old flowered stems and shortening to maintain its shape,' says Peter.
Remove any dead, damaged or weak growth, but be sure to avoid taking off large amounts of healthy growth. The main benefit of pruning now is that the plant has time to recover while temperatures are still relatively warm.
Rambling roses can put on an impressive amount of growth over summer – and August is the time to remove the stems that have already flowered on most varieties.
'This is the case with all rambler varieties, except for those such as Rambling Rector which bear hips later in the summer and autumn,' says Nick Hamilton, gardening expert and founder of Barnsdale Gardens.
For varieties that have finished flowering, cut the spent flowering shoots out completely, ideally at their base, and tie in the strong new shoots that have grown this year. These younger stems will provide next year's flowers.
This doesn't need a hard prune in August, but a light trim can help keep growth under control, especially if stems are starting to outgrow their supports.
'Cut back any long, whippy summer growth by a few inches or down to the nearest strong pair of leaves,' says Richard Barker, horticultural expert and commercial director of LBS Horticulture. 'You can also remove faded flower heads from varieties that have finished blooming – although leaving them in place will allow berries to develop later in the year.'
Plus, be sure to remove any weak or diseased stems while you are there – which is extra important if you have noticed signs of powdery mildew.
Climbing hydrangeas are another plant that can be pruned in August, but only once flowering has finished. Timing is particularly important because the plant produces its flower buds on old wood.
'Once flowering is over, cut the old flower heads back to a pair of strong buds and shorten any stems that have grown beyond their allotted space,' Richard explains.
However, don't automatically cut the whole plant back. 'Leave the top of the plant unpruned if it is still within its space, as this is where most of the flowers will form.'
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