Wall germander: when and how to prune

Wall germander: when to prune it?

JFMAMJJASOND

After flowering, in September. A light shaping trim in April is also fine, especially for edgings and knot gardens.

What else to prune in those months? April · September

Wall germander: how to prune it?

1. Clip off the spent flower spikes and about a third of the young shoots with secateurs or hedge shears.
2. For a crisp edge: trim to 15–25 cm and keep the base slightly wider than the top so light reaches the bottom.
3. Remove dead or damaged twigs in spring.
4. To renew an old, bare plant, cut a little harder for a few years in a row, but always into green wood.

How much to cut, and how often?

• There are 2 pruning periods a year: April and September. You don’t have to prune in every one.
• Prune in moderation: never remove more than about a third of the shrub at once.

What does it mean for wildlife?

• Pruning in April can fall in the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Check carefully for nesting birds first: disturbing an active nest is against the law.
• Wall germander flowers in June–August, when it attracts bees and butterflies.
• As a native plant, it feeds more insects than a non-native species.
• Prunings can go on a dead hedge or brash pile in a corner of the garden: shelter for hedgehogs, wrens and insects.

Common mistakes

• Clipping without first checking for nesting birds.
• Leaving a stub or sawing flush with the trunk: cut just outside the branch collar.

Nearby: related pruning guides

• Tree germander
• Caucasian germander
• Wood sage
• Blackberry
• Bluebeard
• Box (buxus)

Plant profile: Wall germander · Pruning calendar and basic rules