Essential Gardening Skills for Beginners: Part 3
In this final installment of our essential gardening skills series, we’ll tackle pruning, dividing, and layering your plants like a pro. Plus, we’ll teach you how to identify and solve common plant problems with the help of our exclusive video guides.
Pruning: The Art of Shaping and Rejuvenating Your Plants
Pruning is a crucial skill for maintaining healthy and vigorous plants. It involves removing dead, diseased, or overgrown branches to promote new growth and flowering. In this video guide, horticultural expert David Hurrion shares his dos and don’ts for pruning, including:
- Clipping with confidence
- Basic pruning techniques
- Deadheading to encourage continuous flowering
Dividing Plants: Giving Your Perennials a New Lease of Life
As herbaceous perennials mature, they can become overcrowded and congested. Dividing them is a great way to rejuvenate them and create new plants for free. David’s video guide demonstrates:
- When to divide spring-flowering plants
- How to prepare plants for lifting
- Techniques for carefully dividing the root ball
- Repositioning your new divisions
Layering: A Simple Way to Propagate Woody Plants
Layering is a technique for propagating shrubby, woody plants and fruit bushes. It involves encouraging new roots to develop on a stem while it’s still attached to the parent plant. David’s video guide covers:
- The benefits of layering
- How to choose the best propagation material
- Basic layering techniques
- Advanced serpentine layering
Assessing Plant Health: Becoming a Keen Observer
It’s important to be vigilant in the garden and keep an eye on your plants for any signs of problems. By cultivating a keen eye, you can identify issues early on and take steps to address them. David’s video guide explains:
- When a problem is not actually a problem
- How gardeners can unintentionally harm their plants
- A holistic approach to pest control
Additional Essential Skills
Be sure to check out our other essential gardening skills articles for even more tips and tricks:
- Essential Gardening Skills: Part 1
- Essential Gardening Skills: Part 2
With these essential gardening skills under your belt, you’ll be well-equipped to keep your plants healthy, thriving, and looking their best.