Gardening expert warns you should never prune certain plants in October or risk ruining them

Pruning is essential for maintaining the health and appearance of plants, but it's important to get the timing right - some plants should be left alone at this time of year

Pruning serves a crucial role in removing the dead, diseased, and damaged stems and branches to improve a plant's health while maintaining its visual appeal.

It's not just about maintaining health; it also ensures plants look their best. The timing of pruning is vital get it wrong, and you risk a bloomless garden.

Various plants require trimming at different times throughout the year, and some should be left alone during certain seasons. For example, rhododendrons, lilacs, and certain roses need precise timing.

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End-of-summer or start-of-autumn pruning can jeopardize the next year's flowers for rhododendrons and azaleas as they set buds for the coming year.

GreenPal CEO Brian Clayton cautioned: "If you snip away in October, you're essentially bidding goodbye to the upcoming spring's vibrant bloom fest.", reports the Mirror.

Pruning lilacs now could mean sacrificing next year's flowers, according to the Express. The best time to trim these spring-flowering shrubs would be after their late spring or early summer blossoming.

Brian also highlights how pruning dogwoods and lilacs currently is akin to "sabotaging next spring's flower show". Regarding roses, while it's acceptable to deadhead and prune climbers in October, its recommended to leave other varieties alone.

Gardening aficionado Monty Don has dispensed invaluable advice for those looking to prune their climbing roses this October, underlining the activity's significance in elevating the allure of any garden. Writing on his blog, Monty outlined: "Rambling roses on the other hand produce their flowers on shoots grown on the previous summer so should only be pruned immediately after flowering."

"Start by removing any damaged or crossing growth or any very old wood which can be pruned right back to the ground. The main stems should be fanned out at an equidistance as horizontally as possible, tying them to wires or a trellis."

"Then all the side shoots growing from these main stems, which produced this year's flowers, can be reduced to a short stub of a couple of leaves."