As gardens begin to look a little ragged and flowers start to fade in the warmer months, the urge to grab the secateurs can be overwhelming — but one expert has flagged this as a widespread seasonal blunder.
Peter Dowdall, also known as The Irish Gardener, is now calling on gardeners to resist the temptation, warning of the very real risks of cutting and pruning too soon, especially when it comes to hydrangeas.
Speaking to this reporter, he explained: “People see a plant looking a bit wild or past its best and instinctively want to tidy everything immediately.
“But in many cases, cutting back too early can weaken plants, reduce flowering next year and remove valuable habitat for wildlife and pollinators.”
Peter has spent over three decades working in gardens, and one of the most frequent errors he comes across at this time of year involves gardeners heavily pruning shrubs and perennials during spells of warm, dry weather.
View 4 ImagesPeter Dowdall at Chelsea Flower Show(Image: RSVP Live)
Elaborating further, he said: “When plants are already under stress from heat, wind or lack of moisture, hard cutting back can add another layer of stress. A plant needs foliage to photosynthesesise and recover. Removing too much growth during hot conditions can sometimes do more harm than good.”
When it comes to the one flowering plant that demands extra care and consideration, Peter singled out hydrangeas. Elaborating on the reasoning, he explained: “A lot of people panic when hydrangeas begin to look tired or floppy in heat and immediately start cutting bits off. Usually the issue is stress or lack of moisture rather than the plant needs pruning.”
Rather than hastily tidying up gardens, Peter reckons gardeners ought to concentrate more on enhancing growing conditions.
He noted the climate was shifting and consequently gardens need to become more resilient – with healthy soil being “absolutely central” to achieving that.
View 4 ImagesHydrangea flowers(Image: aire images via Getty Images)
Offering a useful tip, he shared: “Mulching around plants helps suppress weeds competing for moisture, slows evaporation from the soil and improves soil structure over time.”
Peter also recently spoke to us about another frequent error that “nearly everyone makes” during heatwaves.
He highlighted the urge to water plants little and often, explaining that while it appears sensible, it actually produces the opposite outcome to what you’re hoping to achieve.
The respected horticulturist and broadcaster noted that this approach often only dampens the surface of the soil and can genuinely weaken plants as time goes on.
View 4 ImagesPeter Dowdall(Image: @the_irish_gardener/Instagram)
He also pointed out you end up creating plants that become reliant on continuous watering and that one deep soak was “worth far more than five quick splashes”.
Peter additionally emphasised that timing mattered and that watering during the middle of the day was “incredibly inefficient” as much of it will evaporate before reaching the roots.
Article continues below
Instead, he recommended watering your plants either first thing in the morning or later in the evening.
You can read more seasonal gardening advice from Peter Dowdall, The Irish Gardener, here