There’s a particular mood in the garden in August, I find. Growth in pots, borders and meadows begins to slow, and with it, our pace, too. Stems stretch out, blooms brown, and a golden haze settles on everything. It’s not quite the full collapse of fall, but a much-needed summer exhale after the chaos of the season. And yet, there is still pruning to be done. Not a drastic haircut, the kind reserved for winter and spring, but some shrubs and trees do benefit from a well-timed trim now.
I’ve pruned many plants in many different gardens where I have worked. On wobbly ladders in Tuscan courtyards, squinting up at unruly wisteria. Perfectly formed box balls in South Wales using wooden stencils to get the curves just so, as well as training hawthorn hedges in London and having the scratches to show for it. Some gardens were clipped and formal, others loose, wild and more carefree. But in all of them, this month called for some delicate pruning by a slower hand.
