Pruning

[bluebird34]

I have not been well this year and the garden has not had a lot of attention..I have three plants in my front garden which have become straggly. They are a tall magnolia, a red robin which is now a green robin and a prunus. Is it too late to prune these back now please and if so any advice will be welcome. thank you. Janet

[danchip]

i do all my pruning at this ti,e of year and all the bushes and hedges grow back even thicker the following year so its not doing them any harm, i suppose it could depend on where you live!

[Hawkwalk]

Magnolia are best pruned after they have flowered in late spring if they really need pruning. If you do it now you will cut the flower buds off. They should not really need it unless it is to give it some shape. Red Robin is best pruned early spring just before it begind to grow again. That way you will get nice fresh red tips developing. You can prune again during the growing season but best not pruned now. As for the Prunus, depends on which type you have. If evergreen then prune early spring, if an early spring flowering tree type then prune after flowering.