In February, gardeners can help ensure their plants flower beautifully come spring by carefully cutting back old growth and encouraging fresh shoots.

Pruning during this time encourages strong new growth, improves the overall shape of the shrub, and helps prevent disease.

When done correctly, pruning also prevents overcrowding and allows air and light to reach the heart of the plant, promoting healthy development.

For clean, precise cuts on young stems, it’s best to use bypass pruners with a sharp, curved blade that can neatly trim through the plant material.

When cutting thicker stems, it’s helpful to use a pair of ratchet loppers that offer more leverage, making it easier to cut through tougher branches.

Gardening expert Wilkinson Sword has put together a step-by-step guide on how to prune your flowering shrubs now to enjoy healthy blooms throughout the year.

When to prune different shrubs

• Summer or autumn flowering shrubs: The best time to prune these shrubs is in late winter or early spring, before the growing season begins. Pruning at this time prepares the plant for a fresh burst of growth.
• Spring flowering shrubs: These should be pruned once their flowers begin to fade. Cutting them back too early may remove the buds that would have bloomed later.
• Herbaceous perennials: These can be pruned in late winter, cutting the plant down to ground level while leaving the base clump of leaves to protect the root system.

Pruning techniques

There are a variety of techniques you can use depending on the type of shrub you are working with:

• Pinching: This is the gentlest form of pruning and involves using your fingers or scissors to nip off small tips from the branches. It encourages bushier growth and is ideal for young shrubs that need shaping.
• Severe pruning: For shrubs that have become overgrown or have woody stems, prune them back to a strong bud or to a healthy branch. Use bypass pruners for smaller branches and stems that need to be shortened or thinned out.
• Thinning: For bushes with thick, overcrowded growth, thinning is essential. Remove entire stems that are dead, diseased, or growing inward towards the centre of the plant. This helps improve airflow and encourages healthier, more abundant blooms.