Re: When to cut back
- Subject: Re: When to cut back
- From: Tony and Moira Ryan t*@xtra.co.nz
- Date: Tue, 06 Aug 2002 08:56:29 +1200
Gunnar Dath wrote:
>
> Dear all,
> after several weeks with hot weather and right now temperatures of around
> 100F here in southern Greece, most things in the garden look either dead or
> staggly and unhappy. However, I want to try to make things look their best
> in late September and October and have the following questions:
> When is the best time to cut back straggly shrubs such as Lemon Verbena,
> Pelargoniums, Salva microphylla, and others. I somehow guess now is not a
> good time? Later in August when the worst heat is over?
Gunnar
I am myself much more familiar with the effects of dormancy induced by
cold than by heat, but I think it is usually reckoned the best time to
trim any sort of shrub is just before new growth is likely to start,
unless the plant flowers immediately after re-awakening, when the
pruning is usually done staight after flowering. The shrubs you actually
mention all come in the first category, so I think you could safely cut
these in time to be tidy for your special occasion, but I would leave it
as late as possible or the heat might cause some dieback in the cut
ends.
Can't help with your second question though.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan,
Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ. Pictures of our garden at:-
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm
