Pruning santolina flowers

Just in time. I have pruned these shrubs just in time.

Now I know that I tend to gush about my flowers; but this is one thicket of plants which will not be boasting blooms.

My santolinas are strictly used for rounded mounds of green.

If I let them flower they flop.  And I have a great deal of trouble trying to get them back into the fetching rounded shape which I love.

So today with cleaned secateurs (they were covered in sticky euphobia sap which I didn’t clean off in time) and a big blue bag I set out.

It’s actually lots of fun. If you like hairdressing. Or snip snip snipping. You just grab a hunk of growth and hack away.

Santolinas are very forgiving.

I haven’t taken them right back to the old growth, so they may need another prune in a few months time.

The good news is I see these ones in the barn garden every day.  But I obviously took my eye off these ones – Santolina Primrose Gem – on the shade garden bank.

Wow they have shot up. And over.

I love their deep green colour. And don’t even mind the buttons of yellow they produce all over the plant.

But I have to exert control. I’m just stunned I noticed them in time. First the euphorbias and now the santolinas.

You would actually think I’m in control of this gardening lark at long last.