The golden rule
Avoid hard pruning frost-tender plants in late autumn. Pruning triggers soft new growth, and in the upper Mountains that growth gets burnt by the first heavy frosts.
Hedges
- Lilly pilly, photinia, murraya, viburnum: trim in spring after the first flush and again in late summer. In the lower Mountains a third trim in autumn is fine.
- Box: trim in late spring and again in late summer.
- Conifers: trim lightly in spring and summer. Most won't regrow from bare wood, so never cut back hard.
Flowering shrubs
- Camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons: straight after flowering, before next year's buds form.
- Hydrangeas: late winter, cutting back to a pair of fat buds.
- Lilacs: just after flowering.
- Roses: July to early August while dormant.
Fruit trees
Prune apples, pears and plums in winter while dormant, as Bilpin orchardists do. Stone fruit like peaches and apricots can also be pruned after harvest in late summer to reduce disease risk.
Want it done right? Book our hedge trimming and pruning service.