Summer pruning is a light touch, not a major operation. The heavy structural pruning of trees and shrubs belongs to the dormant season, when the plant is bare and you can see what you are doing; summer pruning is about small, timely cuts that keep plants healthy and productive through the growing season. Deadheading flowers so they keep blooming, removing dead or diseased wood as soon as you see it, thinning fruit so what remains grows larger, and guiding new growth where you want it — these are the summer jobs, and they are best done little and often with clean, sharp tools. This guide explains what to prune in summer, what to leave alone, and how to avoid the common mistake of cutting too much at the hottest time of year. For local advice, check your local extension service.
The rule of summer pruning: light only
The first rule of summer pruning is that less is more. A plant in full leaf is feeding itself through those leaves, and removing a large amount of foliage in summer starves it at the moment it needs energy most — for growing fruit, for flowering, and for laying down the buds that will flower next year. Heavy pruning in summer also opens the plant to sunscald, where bark that was shaded is suddenly exposed to strong sun, and to stress that invites pests and disease. As a guide, never remove more than a small proportion of a plant's foliage in a single summer session, and never prune a stressed, drought-affected or newly transplanted plant at all.
The second rule is to prune for a reason. Every cut should have a purpose: removing dead wood, opening the centre for air, taking out a crossing branch, deadheading a flower, or thinning fruit. Pruning without a purpose is how plants get damaged, and a plant that is left to grow is usually healthier than one that is cut for the sake of it. Work in the cool of the morning, use clean, sharp tools, and make each cut just above a bud or a side branch, so the plant can heal cleanly. The pruning calendar gives the usual timing for common plants.
Deadheading flowers through summer
Deadheading — removing spent flowers — is the most useful summer pruning job in a flower garden, because many annuals and perennials will keep flowering if they are not allowed to set seed. Snap or snip off the faded flower head, cutting back to just above a leaf or a side bud, and the plant will usually produce new flowers within a few weeks. Roses, dahlias, zinnias, marigolds, cosmos and petunias all respond well to regular deadheading, and a few minutes with secateurs once or twice a week will keep them flowering until autumn.
Not every flower should be deadheaded. Leave some flowers to set seed if you want self-sown plants next year, or if the seed heads feed birds — sunflowers, echinacea and ornamental grasses are all better left standing. Spring-flowering shrubs should not be deadheaded in summer as a routine, and perennials that flower once and then die back can simply be left alone. For growing detail, see growing roses, growing zinnias and growing marigolds, and our summer flower care guide.
Fruit trees and bushes in summer
Summer is the right time to thin fruit on apples, pears, plums and peaches if you did not do it in late spring, and to remove any damaged or diseased fruit as soon as you see it. Summer pruning of fruit trees is limited to removing water shoots — the vigorous upright shoots that grow from branches — and any dead or crossing wood, and to shortening new growth on trained forms such as espaliers and cordons, where summer pruning keeps the shape compact and lets light reach the fruit. Do not carry out major structural pruning on fruit trees in summer.
On berries, summer pruning depends on the type. Summer-fruiting raspberries fruit on last year's canes, so after harvest, cut the canes that have fruited right down to the ground and tie in the new green canes that will fruit next year. Autumn-fruiting raspberries fruit on this year's canes and are left alone in summer, to be cut down in late winter. Strawberries need their runners dealt with in summer: remove runners from plants you want to keep for fruit, or peg down runners where you want new plants. For detail, see growing strawberries and growing raspberries, and our summer fruit care guide.
Vegetables, herbs and hedges
Vegetables need light summer pruning too. Tomatoes are the main case: remove the side shoots that grow in the leaf joints of cordon varieties, so the plant puts its energy into fruit rather than foliage, and remove the lower leaves that touch the soil, which are the first to pick up disease. Do this little and often — a few shoots a week — rather than stripping a plant bare in one session, and always remove shoots when they are small, pinching them out with your fingers. Cucumbers, squash and melons can have their growing tips pinched out once they have set fruit, to stop the plant sprawling endlessly.
Herbs benefit from regular cutting in summer, which is itself a form of pruning: cut basil above a pair of leaves and it will branch, cut mint and oregano back hard when they get leggy, and harvest lavender as the flowers open. Hedges can be trimmed in summer once the birds have finished nesting — check first, and delay if a nest is in use — cutting the new growth back lightly to keep the shape, with the top slightly narrower than the base so light reaches the lower branches. Our summer herb care and summer vegetable care guides cover the seasonal care in detail.
What not to prune in summer
Some plants should not be pruned in summer at all. Spring-flowering shrubs such as lilac, forsythia and deutzia flower on wood grown the previous year, and pruning them in summer removes next year's flowers — prune them just after flowering instead. Cherries, plums and other stone fruit are best pruned in summer in some climates to reduce disease risk, but heavy pruning should still be avoided, and any large cuts should be left for the dormant season unless there is a clear reason to make them now.
Never prune in the heat of the day, when the plant is already stressed, and never prune when the foliage is wet, because disease spreads more easily on wet leaves. Do not prune a plant that is suffering from drought until it has been watered and has recovered, and do not feed a plant immediately after heavy pruning — let it recover first. If you are unsure whether a plant should be pruned now, leave it; a missed cut is always less damaging than a wrong one, and the dormant season will come round again.
Tools and aftercare
Summer pruning needs only a few tools, but they need to be sharp and clean. Secateurs handle most jobs, loppers take thicker branches, and a small pruning saw deals with anything larger. Clean the blades with soapy water or a wipe before you start and between plants, especially if you have been cutting diseased material, because dirty blades spread disease from plant to plant. A clean cut heals faster than a ragged one, so sharpen secateurs regularly and replace blades that no longer cut cleanly.
After pruning, water the plant if the soil is dry, and mulch around the base if the mulch layer has thinned, but do not feed heavily — the plant needs to recover, not to be pushed into soft new growth. Remove prunings from the garden promptly, composting healthy material and putting diseased material in the green waste bin. Check pruned plants a week later: new growth should be appearing from buds just below the cuts, and if it is not, the plant may need water or time rather than more pruning. For the wider seasonal routine, browse the guides hub and the planting calendar.
Frequently asked questions
Can I prune trees in summer?
Light pruning only — removing dead, diseased or crossing wood, water shoots and fruit thinning. Heavy structural pruning belongs to the dormant season, when the tree is bare and you can see its shape. Never remove a large amount of foliage from a plant in full leaf, and never prune a drought-stressed plant.
Should I deadhead flowers in summer?
Yes, for most annuals and perennials — roses, dahlias, zinnias, marigolds, cosmos and petunias all keep flowering if spent heads are removed regularly. Leave some flowers to set seed if you want self-sown plants or seed heads for birds, and do not deadhead perennials that flower once and die back.
When do I prune raspberries in summer?
Summer-fruiting raspberries: cut the canes that have fruited down to the ground after harvest, and tie in the new green canes for next year. Autumn-fruiting raspberries fruit on this year's canes and are left alone in summer, to be cut down in late winter.
Should I prune tomatoes in summer?
Yes, for cordon varieties: pinch out side shoots in the leaf joints little and often, and remove lower leaves that touch the soil. Do it when shoots are small, and never strip a plant bare in one session — the leaves feed the fruit.
What time of day should I prune in summer?
In the cool of the morning, when plants are hydrated and the sun is not strong. Avoid pruning in midday heat or when foliage is wet, and clean your tools between plants so disease does not spread.