Three common plants that need pruning in September for 'more flowers and a better display'

The seasonal transition from summer to autumn is traditionally a busy time in any garden. Along with routine tasks such as watering plants, deadheading flowers, and harvesting fruits and vegetables, it is an ideal month to prune many summer-flowering plants.

Some shrubs, hedges, climbers, and soft fruit can benefit from being trimmed this month to keep plants healthy, neat, and productive. Taking a little time with the pruning shears in September will help guarantee a fantastic display of flowers or a harvest of fruits next year. Pruning doesn't have to be daunting or confusing. To help, a few gardening experts have shared a few common plants to prune this month.

Plants to prune in September

1. Lavender

If you're lucky enough to have a garden filled with the sweet perfume of purple lavender, it's important to know how to care for lavender, remembering to stick it on your list of plants to prune in September, or whenever the flowers start to fade.

Taking to his popular gardening blog, Gardeners' World presenter Monty Don wrote: "Cut back hard to a good compact shape, but be sure to leave some new shoots on each stem - lavender will often not regrow from bare wood.

"These new shoots will grow fast and provide an attractive and healthy cover to protect the plant in winter and provide the basis of next year's display."

2. Clematis

Any garden will benefit from the elegant addition of clematis, which are famous plants for their stunning variety of colours and shapes.

As the climbers develop quickly, it's "critical to correctly prune them in September" to maintain their beauty and "guarantee an excellent supply of flowers next year", according to the gardening pros at Backyard Boss.

They claimed that pruning helps by encouraging the growth of new shoots, which tend to be the sites of the most prolific flowers. Hard pruning "guarantees more flowers and a better display".

3. Wisteria

Wisteria needs pruning in September. It thrives best if it receives a prune twice per year: once while it's still dormant in late winter before its spring bloom, then again in late summer after it's finished flowering.

Gardening expert Michael Clarke, a landscape architect, horticulturalist, and founder of Yardwork, said: "Cutting back any spent or overly wispy growth now will help ensure your plant doesn't become tangled and overgrown, and that flowering continues without being hidden by an excess of foliage."

Cut back long summer shoots using your pruning shears, and focus on shaping your wisteria in a way that looks neat and allows you to see your blooms.