Monty Don urges gardeners to prune one plant by exact time in summer
British horticulturist and TV presenter Monty Don has urged Brits to get into the garden and complete one crucial task this summer, following weeks of sunny spells and balmy temperatures
With summer just around the corner, Brits are being urged to crack on with one essential gardening job. The relentless British rain and grey clouds have slowly faded away - replaced with blue skies and sunny spells.
Temperatures are even slated to soar above 30C this week as the UK's huge 'heat spike' continues to thaw out the nation. While the consistent sunshine may not be appreciated by sweaty Brits having to work inside, it will be well received by the flowers that have somehow survived the bleak winter.
Next month (June) should be when you start witnessing splashes of colour emerging in your garden. Classic flowers like Poppies, roses, and dahlias will start to bloom - and your vegetable garden will transform into a mini feast.
But, don't be fooled. Just because your garden has seemingly transformed itself into a floral paradise overnight - it doesn't mean there isn't work to do. In fact, British horticulturist Monty Don says June is filled with essential tasks - ranging from weeding vegetable plots to thinning your apple and pear trees.
Writing on his eponymously named blog Montydon.com back in 2024, the gardening ace explained that June is also the best month to prune wisteria. "Wisteria produces its flowers on new growth, which in turn emerges from spurs off the main shoots," Monty wrote.
"When they have finished flowering - and for most of us that is around the middle of June - is the best time to prune all this year's new shoots back to a spur leaving no more than about six inches of growth. In the process the whole plant can be tidied, trained and tied in so that there are no loose, trailing shoots."
If you're worried about over-pruning your wisteria, Monty recommends erring on the side of caution. Then, in the new year, when the foliage has all died back - you can prune again, reducing each side shoot to just 'two or three inches'.
Wisteria can be rather maintenance blooms that typically take three to five years to begin flowering. If growing from seed, it may take two decades before you start spotting colour - but the wait is well worth it.
Pruning twice a year allows better air circulation and more sunlight to reach the base of the young growths. According to experts over at the Royal Horticultural Society, this will encourage 'better ripening of the wood and improve the chances of flower bud formation'.
"Wisterias can be left to ramble unchecked where space allows, but will usually flower more freely and regularly if pruned twice a year," they added. If you're away during the start of summer, and don't want your Wisteria to start drooping - don't worry. You can postpone the task until August at the latest.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Exact time thunderstorms end as more rain to fall in 9 hours than all of April
Millions of Brits will be blighted by thunderstorms ruining their Saturday until this evening, with as much as 40mm of rain expected to fall in some parts of the country Thunderstorms are expected to bring more rain in nine hours today than the UK saw in the whole of April. Met Office forecasters have issued a yellow thunderstorm weather warning for the South East, East Anglia, the Midlands, the South West and southern Wales - lasting until 6pm today. The Met Office warned that between 10mm to 15mm could fall in less than an hour, while some regions could see as much as between 30mm and 40mm. The yellow weather alert will remain in the affected regions until 6pm tonight, with people being warned about potential delays to train and bus services. Some buildings could also be vulnerable to lightning strikes, the Met Office said. In England, the amount of rainfall could be more in a single day than the entirety of April, which saw 28.3mm in total. The rest of Saturday will be "very showery" with heavy rainfall as well as gusty winds and hail. Met Office Chief Meteorologist Dan Suri said: 'Frequent heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected for much of Saturday, before they fade from the west during the mid-to-late afternoon. "It's possible that 10-15mm of rain could fall in less than an hour, while some places could see 30-40mm of rain over several hours from successive showers and thunderstorms. Frequent lightning, hail, and strong, gusty winds are also possible. "A yellow warning for thunderstorms has been issued and covers parts of central and southern England and Wales. While brisk winds ensure that most places in the warning area will be hit by showers, not all places will see thunderstorms. In this case it's difficult to predict where exactly thunderstorms will hit because they are small and fast changing. "One analogy we use to picture the complexity of this forecasting challenge is comparing it to boiling a pan of water and having to guess exactly where and when the bubbles will appear. We know some will, but only in certain places, and that is why thunderstorms are so hard to predict." Thankfully, conditions should be "quieter" and "drier" for most on Sunday. There will be some showers around in the north and east of the country. But for many, clear and sunny spells are expected. Next week, sunshine and showers are expected in the north with plenty of dry weather in the south. The Met Office said Tuesday would see the possibility of a new low-pressure-system potentially pushing another weather front over the UK. Temperatures look set to rise with high 20Cs possible in the southeast on Thursday. The warm air will also bring further risk of thunderstorms by the end of the week.
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
UK weather maps show exact date '72-hour heatwave' to bake Brits in 28C
The exact date a '72 hour' heatwave could start has been revealed by exciting new weather maps - huge parts of the country are set to get scorching hot weather soon Weather maps have shown the UK is set to face a "72 hour" heatwave as some areas will be hit with scorching 28C weather. Days of rain and gloomy weather will be flipped on its head as the exact date the country will get heat and sunshine has been revealed. The UK could see the mercury soar to a staggering 28C just as the summer season gets underway. WX Charts weather maps have predicted a " heatwave" will hit parts of the country this month, on June 18 to 20. This could mean the nation could get its hottest weather of the year so far in just a few weeks. Weather charts have turned orange and red for huge parts of the UK on June 18. Cities like London, Birmingham and Manchester have turned orange on these maps, meaning they could be set for summery weather. The maps have turned darkest around Glasgow, meaning the Scottish city could see the hottest couple of days in the UK, at the end of the month. This means Brits could enjoy trips to the beach and afternoons in beer gardens fairly soon. Despite maps from WX Charts, this predication has not been backed up by the Met Office's long range weather forecast, though. It has predicted hot spells could be possible between June 11 and 20 but has not predicted a heatwave. The Met Office said: "Changeable weather across the UK at the start of this period with showers or some longer spells of rain spreading in from the Atlantic. The most prolonged rain will probably be across parts of northwest, with the southeast likely driest. "By Thursday, temperatures are likely to be trending upwards with the potential for very warm or even hot weather to develop, particularly in the south and east. "However, this also brings a risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms, especially over parts of England and Wales. From around the weekend of the 14th and 15th, high pressure is likely to start to have more influence. "This would bring periods of fine and dry weather, especially in south. Temperatures most likely above average with more hot spells possible." This good weather news comes as the UK is set to brace itself for a huge soaking this weekend as the Met Office issued a severe weather warning. Forecasters have predicted strong winds accompanied by potential hail could come on Saturday. A yellow thunderstorm warning was issued for a large area of the UK, warning power cuts could follow. A possible 40mm battering could hit the southeast, southwest, Wales, the Midlands and east of England - with the yellow thunderstorm warning in place between 9am until 6pm today. Several major cities are due for a soaking, including London, Reading, Brighton, Birmingham and Oxford.
Edinburgh Live
a day ago
- Edinburgh Live
Iceland giving away free food as scale of barbecue disasters uncovered
Three quarters of people claim dodgy weather advice has seen them cancel BBQs unnecessarily - but can now call an SOS hotline to save their summer parties. 76% said they'd called off their plans due to wrong weather advice predicting rain, according to a study by Iceland Foods. The survey found that Brits anticipate that they will miss out on more than five BBQs in a matter of months this summer. 84% of Brits only decide on the day itself to BBQ because of weather fears. Iceland Foods is launching the SOS (Save our Summer) BBQ Service. The service will give away free BBQ food bundles to Brits who share their BBQ fails throughout June, July and August. It comes as research revealed just how unprepared the UK really is for a bit of sunshine, with 42 per cent scrambling to make last-minute substitutions in the supermarket and 50 per cent wishing for a BBQ food delivery service. Paul Dhaliwal, chief commercial officer at Iceland Foods, said: "We know how unpredictable the British summer can be, one minute it's cloudy, the next it's perfect BBQ weather. "People want to seize the moment and get grilling without all the hassle. That's why we've launched our SOS BBQ Service, so no one has to miss a single sausage this summer." The BBQ Essentials box that Brits can get their hands on includes six grill staples for the ultimate grill fest: four chicken and vegetable kebabs, eight BBQ beef koftas, extra thin BBQ chicken sizzle steaks, four 100 per cent beef quarter pounders, sticky BBQ pork belly slices and salt and pepper chicken skewers. With two thirds (67 per cent) of the nation stating Saturday is prime BBQ time, Iceland's online BBQ service will be open between 12:01am and 11:59pm each Saturday, for 11 consecutive weeks, starting from June 7 and August 17, 2025. To enter and be in with a chance of winning a free, delicious BBQ bundle, in time for the following weekend, shoppers can visit: and submit their own BBQ woes, mishaps and disasters.
