RHS Pruning Plant by Plant: How to Prune More Than 200 Popular Plants

Pruning Without the Guesswork ✂️

Pruning can feel like a high-stakes decision: cut too little and a shrub turns into a thicket; cut too much and you may lose a season of flowers. RHS Pruning Plant by Plant takes the anxiety out of the task by treating pruning as a practical, plant-by-plant skill rather than a set of rigid rules. Published by DK in association with the Royal Horticultural Society, this illustrated guide covers more than 200 popular garden plants and fruit crops.

What Makes This Guide Different

Instead of offering vague general advice, the book organizes ornamental plants alphabetically by botanical name, making it quick to find a specific tree, shrub, or climber. Each entry explains the plant’s habit, hardiness, height and spread, and the pruning approach that suits it. Annotated artworks show where to make cuts for established plants, while cross-references point to related plants with different pruning needs. The result is a reference that is both visual and precise.

From Ornamentals to Fruit 🍎

A separate section turns to fruit trees and soft fruit, where pruning has a direct effect on harvest. Apples, pears, plums, sweet and tart cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, figs, citrus, and olives are covered alongside raspberries, blackberries, currants, gooseberries, blueberries, and grapevines. The fruit chapters explain why fruit is different, common fruit forms, basic techniques, and training fruit on wires.

Timing, Tools, and Technique

• When to prune: seasonal timing for different plant groups, including summer and winter pruning.
• Tools and care: guidance on choosing and maintaining the right cutting tools.
• Formative and renovation pruning: shaping young plants and restoring neglected ones.
• Special effects: coppicing, pollarding, training climbers, creating standards, simple topiary, and hedges.

Built for Real Gardens 🌿

The book acknowledges that most gardeners are not managing perfect show gardens. Plants get damaged, overcrowded, or simply outgrow their space. The opening chapters explain what pruning is and why it matters, then move into practical decision-making: where to start, how to assess a plant’s needs, and how to make cuts that encourage health and productivity. The tone is encouraging without being simplistic, and the plant profiles are detailed enough to be useful for both beginners and experienced gardeners.

Who May Find It Useful

Home gardeners who want a reliable pruning reference will find the A–Z format easy to use. Allotment growers and fruit gardeners can turn to the fruit section for crop-specific advice. Students of horticulture and garden designers may also value the book as a compact visual guide to pruning principles and plant habits. Because the advice is organized by plant and technique, it works as a dip-in reference rather than a book that must be read cover to cover.

A Practical Shelf Companion

With clear illustrations, plant profiles, and advice on more than 200 plants, RHS Pruning Plant by Plant is the kind of gardening book that earns its place near the shed door. It does not promise instant perfection; it offers something more useful—an informed way to look at a plant, decide what it needs, and make the cut with confidence.