As GardenSIte's plant specialist I always keenly anticipate the HTA National Plant Show. This is my chance to visit nurseries, find out what's trending in the horticultural world and source new stock, all from under one roof.
Nathan James Dodd waits for the leaves to fall from the trees before pruning, as winter is the best time of the year to prune shrubs and trees using clean sharp secateurs and loppers.
Pruning will lead to healthy new growth, encourage the formation of fruit or flower buds and tidy up plants that look unbalanced or have been damaged by bad weather.
Techniques needed to prune different species of trees and shrubs are many and varied but you can bear in mind a few basic rules.
By pruning you are trying to encourage steady healthy regrowth, if you cut back too much the resultant growth surge may be too vigorous.
Annual pruning in normal circumstances should be minimal rather than brutal, always making a clean cut slanting away and just above a bud.
You may have to resort to hard pruning now and again in certain circumstances, and some shrubs can be rejuvenated in this way, but it's not commonly necessary.
Cut out any weak or dead shoots shoots that have started to overcrowd the centre of a tree or shrub, this allows air to circulate more easily and lets light in.
Generally, pruning should take place when plants are in their winter dormancy, this leaves the maximum growing time for flowering shoots to be produced.
Deciding on when and how to prune becomes complicated when you have to balance maintaining the shape and decorative nature of perhaps a fruit tree with pruning that will maximise its crop.
To achieve this successfully you will need to know flowering and fruiting times. As an example, if a plant flowers or produces fruit on year old shoots, you clearly won't want to cut these out by annual pruning. So it's vital that you know the characteristics of the plant before you prune.
Cosmetic pruning may be limited to removing over vigorous shoots that have unbalanced a shrub's shape. Remember to cut back weak growth hard, and strong growth lightly.
Dead and damaged wood on trees should be removed for safety reasons and the possibility that they may be an entry point for infection.
Wood that is already diseased should be removed completely by cutting cleanly back to healthy growth. If you are removing an entire branch, cut back to close by the branch's collar.
Paintng the cut used to be popular but now the common consensus is that the wound will heal perfectly well by itself and painting may do more harm than good by interfering with a tree's natural healing process.
Nathan James Dodd
You might not be familiar with the UK Men's Sheds Association but this is a fast growing organisation that, as David Coton discovered, encourages camaraderie and a sense of achievement among its members.
The Wildlife Aid Foundation recently purchased several animal ornaments from GardenSite and David Coton, one of our partners, thought that this charity carried out such terrific work that we made a charitable donation to assist with the cost.
With high winds increasingly affecting most parts of Britain, many people are likely to be contacting their insurance companies at some time regarding damage caused to sheds, greenhouses, fences and other garden property. Robert Hall explains how GardenSite.co.uk can help with an independent insurance quote and claim.
Here in Birmingham, the weather has been as changeable as ever, very warm just before Easter followed by a cold spell only last week. During May the threat of further frost will largely pass and, with spring well under way, Robert Hall is in no doubt that this is going to be a busy month in the garden.