The pruning of free-standing apple trees is fairly straightforward and a pleasant task at this time of year, when you can see the whole thing clearly. You will need secateurs and perhaps loppers. First, remove any damaged or diseased shoots, looking for the swellings of canker and cutting beyond them. Next, remove wandering shoots that cross and rub others. Then, prune the current year's growth back to three or four buds, always to an out-ward-facing bud. From time to time, stand back to check the result.
* Follow Country Life on Twitter
* Subscribe and save in our January sale
-
Hampnett House: A Gloucestershire garden where an empty, squelchy lawn has been replaced by 'gorgeous flowery generosity'What to do if you inherit a garden that isn’t your style? Tiffany Daneff visits the garden at Hampnett House, Gloucestershire — home of Mr Sanjeev Shah and Ms Mansi Amin — and finds a space that has undergone a major transformation, from high-concept minimalism to flower-filled paradise. Photographs by Britt Willoughby Dyer.
-
Curious Questions: Where did the viral Instagram Shaker kitchen come from — and how is it linked to Quakerism?The traditional and incredibly versatile Shaker kitchen is looked up to the world over, but where did it actually come from?
