Trim back branches in spring

As today marks the first day of spring, gardeners should think about trimming back dead branches on shrubs and bushes.

Gardening expert Sharon Petterson makes her comments to online resource ABC15.com, explaining that since the frost is – hopefully – finished for the winter, then it is time to start pruning.

She suggests gardeners use their thumbnail to carve into the bark of a plants branch and if they see green underneath then they should cut just above that part of the limb.

Continuing, Ms Petterson suggests that gardeners should fertilise the soil in their garden to improve the conditions for their developing plants.

Meanwhile, a report in the Daily Telegraph in recent days suggests that horticulturalists will rarely kill a shrub by pruning it too hard, but notes that it is possible to make them "upset" and appear temporarily hideous by cutting them back to too great an extent.