Gardeners warned 'never' prune these seven plants in November

As the end of the year approaches, it can feel less and less appealing to get out into the garden. However, there are still plenty of tasks to tackle - from raking up fallen leaves to cutting back tired perennials.

The good news for gardeners hoping to keep their to-do lists short as winter sets in is that some plants are best left alone for now.

Expert horticulturalist Simon from the YouTube channel has shared a list of seven plants you absolutely should not prune this month.

He explains: "For many gardeners, November is the month when they do their final tidy-up of the garden - putting it to bed for winter. For most, it's the last bit of work they'll do outside before the cold really sets in.

"And that's not because there won't be anything to do - there'll still be plenty of jobs to tackle as the winter months go on."

Azaleas

Azaleas, Simon points out, are often classified under the rhododendron heading, and he says his advice about not pruning azaleas applies equally to rhododendrons.

"The thing with both these plants," he explains, "is that they take an entire season to produce their flower buds. As soon as they finish flowering in the spring, new growth comes through, and those new, very tiny buds begin to appear in the terminal rosette at the end of the stem."

The buds are so small that they can easily be missed, he adds, making it all too easy to snip off these precious buds without realising it.

"I can understand people making that mistake with azaleas," he says. "They think the plants look a bit messy and give them a cut - and then there'll be no flowers in the spring."

Camellias

By contrast, camellias have quite large, prominent buds, but some gardeners are still tempted to prune them back at this time of year. They can end up looking quite untidy, Simon notes.

"You have a lot of extending growth looking messy at this time of year, and I can understand why people would cut these - and I do see them cutting them, even though quite obviously you've got massive flower buds all waiting to come out in the spring.

"Don't cut them," he adds. "Please don't."

In addition to rhododendrons, azaleas, and camellias, Simon advises gardeners to resist the temptation to trim magnolias and lilacs for the same reason.

Forsythia, ribes and philadelphus

These hardy deciduous shrubs, often grown for their pollen-rich flowers, are popular choices in British gardens. But all three tend to be pruned prematurely. Philadelphus, in particular, is at risk, Simon says.

The tall, arching shrub, which produces white, richly scented flowers in early summer, can often look like "an absolute state" at this time of year, he admits.

"You've really got to steel your resolve to not go out and prune it back into a tidy shape."

If you do, he explains, you risk cutting away the growth the plant relies on as a foundation for next year's blooms.

Finally, Simon adds, there are plenty of other jobs you could be doing instead of pruning: "November is the time you plant your tulip bulbs. November is the time you sow your hardy annual flowering plants and your sweet peas.

"It's also the time you start sowing your broad beans... hardy peas. There's a long list of seeds that you should be sowing."