Potting Up & Pinching Back

Behind the scenes, potting up never really seems to stop here at the nursery. Right now, all the cuttings are graduating from their jiffy pots into their 2-litre pots. It really does feel a bit like a ceremony — the babies are off to school.

This stage is one of my favourites because it’s where I start shaping the plant for years to come. One of the most important steps I take at this point is pinching. To produce bushy, compact plants, I pinch back the most vigorous vegetative shoots — the leaf buds. This simple action triggers the weaker side shoots into active growth, encouraging a fuller, better-balanced plant.

Pinching is usually done by gently breaking off the tender shoots by hand. It’s not about being rough; it’s about being observant. I’m constantly checking the structure of each young plant, aiming for a strong single stem that develops into three growth points at this stage. As the plants settle into their 2-litre pots and mature, those three growth points will ideally become five within a year — all going well, of course.

It’s also one of the nicest jobs to be doing in summer. I’m tucked away under the shade of the cherry trees, birds singing away, music playing, and trays of young rhododendrons lined up waiting their turn. It’s quiet, repetitive, and oddly satisfying — and it’s all part of raising strong, well-shaped plants that will thrive in your garden for years to come.