Pruning, Training, and Tidying: Bob's Basics

In Pruning and Tidying, Bob Flowerdew draws on his long experience as an organic gardener to guide you through the process in his customary clear and straightforward manner.

He explains when the best time of year is to prune each plant, tree or shrub, and gives clear instructions about where and how to cut. He provides advice on selecting and using the best tools and equipment, and tips on how to increase cropping and flowering. He

also gives handy and imaginative suggestions to guide you through the seemingly never-ending task of keeping your garden trim and tidy. Included here are tips on:

• How to prune and trim
• Types of plants to prime
• Ornamental pruning
• Hedges and topiary
• Pruning roses
• Training vines and trees
• Discarding waste
• And more!

What sets Bob Flowerdew’s Pruning, Training, and Tidying apart from other books on the subject is that it does not advise pruning every single plant in your garden. Rather, as Flowerdew puts it, this guide explains the simplest basics of pruning, and how to get admirable results without obsessing over the growing pattern of every plant.

Whatever you are growing, and whatever your garden looks like, Pruning, Training, and Tidying will help you to keep your garden beautiful and functional.

Bob Flowerdew has gardened organically for over thirty years and is a regular panelist on the BBC Radio R’s Gardener’s Question Time. In addition to this series, he is the author of six other books on organic gardening. He lives in England.