This Week in the Garden: Limb-lifting and path clearing

Recent storms may have loosened the rootballs of young trees and shrubs, leaving them vulnerable to being uprooted by further winter gales. Check for signs of damage and gently firm the rootball back down into the ground where required.

The same storms and high winds have resulted in garden debris (leaves, twigs etc) falling on paths, steps and paving as well as clogging up garden drains and glasshouse gutters.

When the weather permits, try to clear these to minimise the risk of accidents or flooding damage.

Now is a good time (if it ever stops raining) to carry out some limb-lifting, an excellent way of lending a sculptural quality to trees and shrubs while also allowing light to filter through to the understorey planting by selectively removing some of the tree/shrub’s lower branches.