May pruning guide with Monty
From the Chelsea chop to trimming box plants - Monty shares his pruning advice for May
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
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| To do | yes |
Pruning this month can take many forms. From helping to control flowering times and plant shape, to improving fruiting performance. In this collection of archive clips from Gardeners' World, Monty explains how to do the Chelsea chop, tidy up box without leaving it at risk of disease and uses the secateurs to give his grape vine a boost.
More pruning advice:
Giving plants the Chelsea chop
For anyone who has ever wondered how and why to do the Chelsea chop, Monty explains the reasons behind this popular pruning technique. He demonstrates how it can be used to control the growth rate, height and flowering times of late-flowering perennials such as loosestrife and asters.
Clipping box plants
Box blight is now widespread in the UK and if your plants have contracted the fungal disease, it can be difficult to know how to control it. Monty has had real issues with box blight in his garden, so in this short clip he offers tips on when and how to clip box to minimise the risk of plants getting blight. He also discusses the advantages of growing a variety called Buxus sempervirens 'Handworthiensis', which although not resistant to the disease, seems able to recover from it in Monty's garden.
Pruning a grape vine
Monty's grape vine has produced vigorous new growth since he cut it back hard in February. In this clip, he demonstrates how to prune the sideshoots and remove some of the developing fruits so that the plant can put all of its energy into just a few bunches of delicious grapes.
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