Pruning book recommendations please (at complete newbie level!).

Hello my gardening lovelies,

We did rose pruning last week on my RHS Level 2 course, and I had an whole hour of practice (mine still didn't look great by the end of the hour, so probably just as well I didn't have longer ).

I don't think this is going to cut it (get it ) in helping me to prune anything much in the future, so wondered if anyone could recommend a KISS (keep it simple etc) type pruning book or short online course/YouTube videos, to help me understand the basics across a range of different plants please, so I can let Santa have the list nice and early


Many thanks as always for your nuggets of wisdom

 

I prefer books, there are a lot to choose from out there. Essential Pruning Tony Kirkham and George Brown is one I have and use for shrubs.
Fruit trees grew up with Fruit by Harry Baker (might have been growing fruit) A4 black and white pictures excellent.
These days it's part of the RHS Encyclopedia of Practical Gardening.
Doesn't the RHS course have a reading list?

 

HI @NigelJ that's great, thank you for your recommendations.

We didn't get a reading list for the RHS practical course, but I am also doing the Level 2 Theory of Plant Growth etc and got a small reading list with that (online course). So, I bought the Level 2 Principles of Horticulture Adams, Early, Brook & Bamford, which is brilliant for this course, but not so useful for a lot of the practical course.

I had seen the RHS Encyclopedia of Gardening Techniques one mentioned, but assumed it was going to be a weighty tome with lots of writing, so didn't explore it any further. But now you mention it and I have searched for it, I can see that it has lots of good reviews, so have added that to my 'Save for Later' list and will get the essential pruning book now (as a pre Christmas treat to myself ).

Thanks again Nigel, looking forward to 'having a go' at the roses here (rent placed, so I hope I don't lose my deposit!) when I have got the book

 

Hi,

Think the Rose Expert book by D G Hessayon, often stocked in garden centers, is about as simple and clear as you can get, but should not worry too much as Roses always come up Roses however you prune them.

You might want to search the Rose and all the other sections of the forum for Rose pruning as one of our Rose gurus, @wiseowl, has given quite a bit of pruning advice over the years.

 

Here's a video on it.

 

Good morning @ricky101 and thank you for the reassurances

I will have a look for the book and thank you for the suggestion for exploring in the rose forum, I hadn't thought of that, that's a great idea

 

Good morning @Logan thank you so much for the video, the title sounds perfect for me , looking forward to watching it later

 

Good morning @JWK thank you for the recommendation and mentioning charity shops! I am always in them rooting around but didn't think to look for gardening books, will definitely do that next time, thanks

 

Good morning Barders
I hope that it will help you.