Lavender and roses are among the most beautiful plants for gardens, boasting vibrant and fragrant flowers.
Despite being relatively low-maintenance, both lavender and roses would greatly benefit from one particular task at this time of year – pruning.
Pruning involves the selective removal of various parts of a plant, including branches, buds, leaves, blooms and roots.
This process can involve removing living, dying or dead parts of the plant and applies to both soft-tissue and woody plants.
Father and son gardening experts Leonardo and Domenico Musceo, who offer their services on local marketplace Airtasker, suggest that pruning lavender and rambling roses should be one of the top four gardening tasks to prioritise in September, reports the Express.
They argue that pruning plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy plant and that “this time of year is the ideal time” to carry out this process for two common garden plants – lavender and rambling roses.
As late summer marks the end of the flowering period for lavender, failing to prune could result in the plant becoming leggy and twiggy, warn the experts.
Pruning encourages a more compact shape and promotes new growth, helping the plant maintain a tidy appearance as it transitions into autumn.
Additionally, pruning in late summer can remove dead flowers, ensuring the plant looks lush and healthy throughout the autumn months.
While pruning, gardeners are advised to take the opportunity to propagate lavender from the cuttings made.
Garden experts have dished out advice for rose enthusiasts, saying that to propagate new plants successful, one must first identify a straight and healthy stem devoid of flower buds.
They also highlighted that for rambling roses, its crucial to recognise they bloom on old wood from the previous years growth.
Once blooming has ceased, the professionals advise gardeners to trim the flowered stems by approximately a third of their length and cull some of the aged, woody stems.
The specialists asserted: “Not only will this help to improve air circulation but it will encourage new growth too.”