personally I'd do it in the spring.

Agree - the winter may cut it to the ground anyway, so not a good idea to prune now.

Many thanks for the help. I will leave till spring - would March be ok? Then will tidy up. I must say it has been a mass of flowers this year.

Erm, wait and see what the weather's like in March - the forecast I've seen suggests we'll still be deep in snow during that month...

agree if march is horrid the plant wont be wanting to be cut. if its nice then march is fine.

where did you see the long range forecast Bamboo? I'm distrustful as they cant get tomorrow's weather right often :o)

Can I remember the name of the site? Absolutely not - its the guy who forecasts according to sunspot activity, how well the Gulf stream's doing currently (poorly is the answer to that one) and taking into account volcanic eruptions. He foretold last year's weather, so I'm preparing myself in case he's right again. Didn't say when it would start, but did say more snow and colder than last year, and going on for a lot longer, well into March. Oh deep joy... still, forewarned is forearmed, and if it doesn't happen, I'll give three cheers regardless. If I recall the name of it I'll get back to you...

It was Exactaweather...