Hi all,

Rather a newbie here I'm afraid. Very interested in wildlife (www.gbwildlife.co.uk) and now want to learn the gardening side of that.

We had the chance to look over our garden today which has got great potential but has been a little neglected over the last few years. The question is basically is it too late in the year to prune things back (or is that a newbie question and does it depend what I am pruning). We have lots of books but some of the advice seems a little tricky - dont prune if risk of frost which may be as late as May but surely we cant wait too late or everything will be in bloom??

We basically want to prune things back as many shrubs and gotten very tangled and the plants underneath are not getting enough light.

We also seem to have quite boggy soil in parts so may need to look at some drainage (I think due to the fact we live part way down a hill and there is an underlying clay soil).

Thanks for any advice - we are worried about doing more harm that good!

Andrew