Shrubs that flower on the coming year's growth, like the gaunt giant Buddleja, can be pruned now and in the coming weeks. The wood is flimsy and easy enough to cut, so most of the work can be done with loppers and secateurs, with the banana saw coming in handy for a few seconds on stouter shoots.
Slice and saw away, setting the unwieldy but lightweight shoots aside one by one, until the whole thing has been reduced to a roughly even structure of 1in-thick branches, like a rather coarse pincushion. Snip off any spindly shoots, and make a bonfire.
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Small engines, big batteries: The quiet revolution of car designMore and more cars on the road are electric, and some unusual shapes and sizes glide past silently. But what does it all mean for design?
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14 ways to keep your dogs cool in the heat, by A-list dog trainer Ben RandallDogs can't regulate their body temperatures as well as humans can, so at this time of year they need your help keeping cool, whether you're on the road, out and about or leaving them with someone else while you go away.
