There is something about a nice, shiny, lethally sharp, pair of secateurs that sets gardeners’ blood to racing.

They just can’t wait to start snipping away, often at plants that don’t actually need snipping! The result is that, way before their enthusiasm peters out, an inordinate amount of damage can be done.

Some plants, be these perennial flowers, shrubs or trees, may recover from the shock of an impromptu haircut; others will not.

Take citrus trees, for example. For some unknown reason, new gardeners appear unable to resist pruning citrus back to the point of extinction. Yet, on the whole, citrus trees, be they oranges, lemons, grapefruits or otherwise, do not need pruning at all. Aside from periodically cutting out any visibly dead, diseased or dense, crossing branches, they should be left well alone.

Pruning other varieties of fruit trees is quite a complex procedure. One that must be done at a particular time of year; some when the tree is dormant in winter, others during late spring or summer and yet others need as little pruning as possible.

Letting rip, simply because you cannot resist the lure of newly purchased secateurs, can have deadly results.

Pruning fruit trees is quite a complex procedure which must be done at a particular time of year

It is recommended that before making so much as a single, quick snip to any kind of plant, you first check out its specific requirements.

This may seem like a major task the first time around but, as knowledge and experience is gained, pruning becomes a simple matter.

It is hoped, most sincerely, that the reader who hard-pruned their previously flourishing lemon trees and then questioned why they died, is amongst those who read — and learn — from the words above.

March seed sowing suggestions:

In the flower garden: Creating a gorgeous summer display begins right now with getting seeds sown and seedlings started off in readiness for planting out, in prepared ground, when reasonably well-established. Make a bold statement with Amaranthus (cockscomb), plume flowers and love-lies-bleeding being the most popular varieties of this large family of often extremely colourful plants.

Amaranthus plants have a distinct tendency to reach for the sky, or sprawl over a sizeable area, or attempt to do both at once, so please give them plenty of room, plus, have canes ready to use as support if/when needed.

Simple to grow, long lasting zinnias are another summer staple, as are French and African marigolds, tagetes, rudbeckia, gaillardia, annual chrysanthemums, asters, coreopsis, gazanias, sunflowers, flax (alsi in Urdu) and both the commonly seen cosmos in shades of pink, white and crimson, plus, their sulphur yellow and blazing orange cousins too.

Petunias, portulaca and gomphrena are other summer delights, and so too are masses of coleus, either in pots or in the ground in partially-shaded locations, where their velvety, bi-coloured and streaked, jewel hues are protected from the burning rays of the sun.

The vegetable garden: Salad greens come into their own as temperatures begin to rise and sowing them in partial shade is recommended. Summer lettuce, endive, radicchio, chicory, Swiss chard/leaf beet, summer cabbage and bok choy can all be sown now, as can French radish, mooli, tomatoes, capsicums, pimentos, cucumbers, cucamelons, spring onions, aubergines, chillies, bush beans, summer cabbage and cauliflower varieties, salsify, bush beans, climbing beans and dwarf beans.

In the last week of the month, make a start on sowing courgettes/zucchini, bottle gourds, tinda, loki, kakri, snake gourds, pumpkins and other members of the squash family. Potatoes and sweet potatoes can also go in.

The herb garden: Basil, garlic chives, chives, borage, coriander, dill, aniseed, fennel, rocket/arugula, coriander, calendulas, nasturtiums, lemon balm, lemon grass, summer savoury, chamomile, plecanthrus/Cuban thyme, agastache, marjoram, thyme and oregano. Turmeric (haldi) and ginger should also be planted now and will do best in well-drained, sandy loam, out of direct sunlight.

The fruit department: Towards the end of the month sow a few melons and watermelons, planting more at two-week intervals, over the next 10-12 weeks, for harvesting over an extended period of time. Chinese gooseberries can be started from seed this month and healthy pineapple tops can be planted for a fruity reward in 18 months’, or thereabouts, time.

Shrub of the month: Buddleia (Butterfly bush). These easy-to-grow shrubs are a ‘must have’ for attracting butterflies and bees to the garden. The hardiest version, Buddleia davidii, is only at home from Lahore northwards and flourishes in the hills.

Buddleia davidii bears racemes of tiny, honey-scented, flowers in shades from white through to deepest purple. Mauve colour is the most common shade around. Those residing from Lahore southwards to Karachi need not despair, as both Buddleia lindleyana and Buddleia madagascariensiss can be grown.

Like Buddleia davidii, Buddleia lindleyana reaches a height of six feet and more and flowers, on and off, from spring through to late autumn. It has tightly packed racemes of flowers, from pale pink through to a surprisingly deep violet. Golden orange-flowered Buddleia madagascariensiss has the bonus of being evergreen, often deciding to flower throughout the winter months.

All of the aforementioned Buddleias should be hard-pruned after flowering. The woody prunings, cut into six to eight inches lengths, inserted up to half their length in pots/trays of compost, kept in light shade, watered regularly and should root quite quickly.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened

Published in Dawn, EOS, March 7th, 2021