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Pruning in June
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By now most of the big pruning jobs are done. However, there are still plenty of smaller jobs to do. For instance, suckers on grafted Roses and the faded flowers of Rhododendrons can all be removed in June. This is also a good time to remove green shoots from variegated plants and to prune top heavy Clematis back to more reasonable proportions.
Suckers on Roses?
Garden Roses are often grafted onto a rootstock. The spot where this is done is called the graft union. The rootstock serves as a kind of support engine and Roses that grow from them will grow and flower better. Usually the buds on the rootstock are sleeping, but the slightest bit of damage can stimulate the buds into development. Once started, the shoots that grow from rootstocks will be incredibly vigorous and, if allowed, in a matter of years they will take over the grafted Rose and force it to totally disappear. It is important, therefore, to remove these suckers, as deep as possible. You can recognize suckers by their smaller foliage and different thorns. So when you see these, follow the shoot right back to its origin and if that point is below the graft union the shoot will be a sucker. Making sure you are wearing heavy-duty gardening gloves, remove the sucker by twisting and pulling it from the rootstock. Never cut suckers back, as this will only stimulate their growth.
Green foliage on variegated Ivy?
Does your variegated or 'golden' variety of a certain plant revert back to plain green? Some variegated varieties have a strong tendency to revert back to their original green colour, so if you prefer the variegated variety, now is the time to take action. Variegated Ivy (Hedera helix), the conifer Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Aureovariegata, as well as variegated Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium 'Argenteum' ) and Euonymus fortunei 'Variegatus' are all good examples of this type of plant. Check the new growth on these plants for green shoots and remove them carefully. If you leave them on the plant, it won't take long for the green shoots to take over!
Faded Rhododenron
Although not really pruning, the removal of faded Rhododendron flowers is also something that we can address here. These flowers can be removed now, as long as it is done very carefully! The dormant buds below the faded flowers are easily damaged. Take the faded flower between your thumb and forefinger and pick it off the plant. This way the plant will not set seed and it can spend all its energy on the development of new flowers. Next year it will flower even more vigorously.
Is your Clematis top heavy or out of shape?
Don't prune early-flowering Clematis in spring. If you do, chances are you will cut away the flower buds and the plant will hardly flower at all. Early-flowering varieties, like the Clematis montana cultivars should have no more done to them than the removal of some spindly twigs or dead wood. However, once in a while these plants can do with a good 'hair cut', particularly when the plant has many tangled-up shoots, or when it has become top heavy, too wide or too tall. If this is the case, in June you can cut away some of the shoots that have already flowered and in those places new shoots will develop. They may hardly bear any flowers, or even none at all, the next season but the following year they will give a fantastic display again. This way you can control the plant better in its first few years. Faded Clematis can be cut back hard to a shoot. The following year it will grow on from there with fresh vigour.
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