WINTER flowering shrubs are among our most cherished garden plants and include some of my personal favourites, writes TOM ATTWOOD.

These include Skimmia ‘Kew Green,’ Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida,’ and Chimonanthus praecox with it’s waxy flowers and spicy fragrance. The most delectable winter scent there is comes courtesy of Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill;’ if you’re unfamiliar with this plant head to Holehird Gardens at Windermere where a superb specimen adorns ones of the main entrances to the walled garden.

Pruning winter flowering shrubs should be done (as obvious as this may sound) once they have finished flowering which depending on the particular plant can be done from late winter into early spring. Most winter flowering shrubs flower on the previous seasons growth.

Deciduous shrubs that flower in late winter, spring and early summer need annual pruning to encourage strong, healthy shoots and improve flowering. If you’re cutting through woody stems of 20mm or more you’re beyond the capabilities of most secateurs, using a small fold-up pruning saw or set of loppers will leave you with a cleaner cut. What you want to avoid doing is ‘chewing’ and twisting the wood as you cut. The cleaner and tidier you can make the surgical procedure the better. Loppers are great but they can twist the wood whereas my preference has always been the smaller toothed saw. As with all pruning operations large or small the cut wants to be made so that it sits just above a dormant bud as opposed to a cut being made directly through the bud. This will damage the emerging spring growth. If you’d like to be more precise and develop your pruning to the levels of a Japanese tree surgeon then angle the cut you make so that that winter rain runs down the cut side away from the dormant bud; this can help avoid the bud rotting.

Whatever you use to make the cut, ensure the blade is clean and free from any old sap from the efforts of last season to avoid spreading disease among your plants.