What to prune now
March officially marks the real start of our gardening year.
As temperatures rise and plants wake up, it’s the ideal moment to tackle key pruning tasks that will set your garden up for a strong growing season.
Many plants are still dormant or just beginning to show new shoots, making this a perfect window to shape, tidy and rejuvenate before vigorous spring growth begins.
Roses
Bush, floribunda and hybrid tea roses benefit from a good prune in March. Cut back to an outward‑facing bud and aim for an open, goblet‑shaped framework to improve airflow and reduce disease risk. Remove any weak, dead or crossing stems.
Shrubs that flower on new wood
March is the prime time to prune late‑flowering shrubs such as buddleia, fuchsia, willow, cornus (dogwood) and sambucus. Hard pruning encourages strong new shoots and vivid stem colour next winter.
Late‑flowering clematis
These varieties bloom on new season’s growth. Cut all stems back to around 30 cm above ground level to ensure plentiful flowers later in summer.
Late‑flowering deciduous grasses
Cut back ornamental grasses such as miscanthus and panicum to just above the new green shoots emerging at the base. This tidies winter dieback and makes room for fresh spring growth.
Winter‑flowering shrubs
Once shrubs like mahonia have finished flowering, they can be lightly pruned now to remove spent flower heads and shape the plant.
Trees & general tidying
Deciduous ornamental trees can be pruned lightly to remove damaged, diseased or crossing branches before they fully leaf out. Tight, congested areas benefit from thinning to improve airflow.
Like some more free advice?
The teams at our member garden centres are happy to offer free advice, please visit or get in touch.
Click here to your nearest GCA member garden centre. Happy gardening!