Pruning in November

When you’re pruning in November remember to prune flowering peaches, almonds and ornamental quinces as soon as they have finished flowering, to neaten them up.

Fynbos like buchus, leucospermums, ericas, and proteas can be pruned after flowering. Also prune confetti bushes quite hard.

Stop lavenders like Lavandula stoechas from becoming woody by pruning them just after a flowering spell – this will keep them healthy and around for longer. Prune about 2/3 of the growth away, but never prune into old wood.

Prune, feed and mulch azaleas after flowering. Water regularly to encourage flowers for a following season.

In the rose garden and orchard, remove any growth sprouting from below the graft on the mother stock.

Tame wild climbers by cutting them back or tying long stems to fences and pergolas. Also prune bougainvilleas that have stopped flowering, for neatness.

Divide your Yarrows. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), with its ferny foliage and lush flowerheads, is a pretty, easy and hardy perennial to grow. It plays an important role as a pollinator-attractor and is a beneficial companion plant to all vegetables. But the flower power and general health of existing plants can deteriorate if not divided and replanted into compost-enriched soil every 2 – 3 years.

For Pruning in November you need to do this:

• Cut back any tall stems and water the plants well the day before dividing.
• Dig up the entire clump and divide it into smaller sections by using a sharp spade, cutting straight down.
• Discard woody centres and make sure that each section has some top growth and roots.
• Replant the sections about 50cm apart at the same depth as before.
• Water well and mulch around the plants.
• Keep the soil moist until they are established and you see new growth. You can then water less as they are quite water-wise.