As we come towards the end of summer, I always notice the same thing in gardens. A lot of perennial plants start to get a little bit tired, and it’s the same with a lot of our annual displays.

They’ve given us a great show, but by now they can look a bit worn out.

The good news is there’s one way that you can actually resurrect your plants so that you can get another burst of color out of them as we move into autumn.

A gorgeous little Marguerite Daisy, for example, can start looking a little bit tired and worse for wear at this time of year. But all we need to do is come in and really just give the plant a decent haircut.

Yes, we’re going to sacrifice some flowers on there. But that doesn’t matter, because in a matter of weeks, the plant is going to bounce back.

You’ll have all this lovely new growth, and you’ll end up with a second flush of flowers coming through, probably around about March, April.

It’s very easy to do. Don’t be afraid of cutting these ones back.

The Marguerite Daisy is one of my favorites in landscaping. It grows to about a meter tall. Sometimes they’re referred to as one year wonders, because they often only last a year.

But they’re great because they grow so fast and they fill holes within the garden.

If you find you’ve got a spot where there’s something that won’t grow, or you’ve lost a plant, why not look at putting in a Marguerite Daisy?

And again, don’t be afraid to prune it back hard. Once it’s finished flowering, it’s going to regenerate for you.

The same thing applies to a lot of these perennials. Your salvias might be looking a little bit worse for wear after coming through the heat of summer.

A simple process – just get in there and cut them back by at least a third, up to a half – and they will regenerate again.

The same goes for lavender. Lavender is a stunning little plant. It does respond very, very well to pruning, but most people forget to prune it.

When do they stop flowering? It can be hard to tell. You’re going to have to sacrifice a few flowers, but we can come down and take off roughly a third, maybe a little bit more.

The one thing we don’t want to do is go back into the older wood on our lavender, because it does take some time to regenerate.

Regular pruning, immediately after flowering, means you’re going to get another flush of flowers.

So don’t be afraid to get out there this weekend and tidy up your perennials and your annual plants.

Prune them back. You’ll get another flush coming through. As we move into autumn, they’ll come good.

And remember – plants are very forgiving. Don’t be afraid to cut them.

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