Winter can look pretty different depending on where you’re located but chances are you will spot a tree or shrub in need of some trimming.
In comes winter pruning!
Pruning your deciduous trees and shrubs should be a part of routine maintenance. Doing this essential task in the winter ensures the plant is dormant and will continue to “rest” until temperatures rise, saving its energy for a surge of growth in spring. You can prune to maintain a certain shape or size, remove dead, damaged and diseased branches or to encourage growth once spring begins! Winter pruning also gives you the advantage of seeing the form of the plant without leaves on the branches. Look for pesky suckers, unruly crisscrossing stems or crowded spaces that need to be opened up to allow for more light or air circulation.
Here are a few things to consider before you start chopping away:
Below are some suggestions of plants that may be ready for a little trimming where others may prefer to let things ride until Spring and Summer are in full swing.
WINTER PRUNING WINNERS
(New wood flowering)
Crape Myrtle, Maple, Oak, Elm, Crabapple, Mountain Ash, As, Birch, Beech Linden, Burning Bush, some Hydrangeas (H. paniculata and H. arborescens), Butterfly Bush, Smokebush, Barberry, Honeysuckle, Dogwood Beautyberry, Clethra
WAIT IT OUT
(Old wood or spring flowering)
Azalea, Beautybush, Spirea, some Clematis, Cotoneaster, Deutzia, Flowering Almond, Forsythia, Mophead Hydrangea, Lilac, Magnolia, Mock Orange, Mountain Laurel, Pieris, Rhododendron, Viburnum, Weigela, Witch Hazel.
Enjoy pruning this winter and with any luck, Spring will be just around the corner!
Below are some suggestions of plants that may be ready for a little trimming where others may prefer to let things ride until Spring and Summer are in full swing.
WINTER PRUNING WINNERS
(New wood flowering)
Crape Myrtle, Maple, Oak, Elm, Crabapple, Mountain Ash, As, Birch, Beech Linden, Burning Bush, some Hydrangeas (H. paniculata and H. arborescens), Butterfly Bush, Smokebush, Barberry, Honeysuckle, Dogwood Beautyberry, Clethra
WAIT IT OUT
(Old wood or spring flowering)
Azalea, Beautybush, Spirea, some Clematis, Cotoneaster, Deutzia, Flowering Almond, Forsythia, Mophead Hydrangea, Lilac, Magnolia, Mock Orange, Mountain Laurel, Pieris, Rhododendron, Viburnum, Weigela, Witch Hazel.
Enjoy pruning this winter and with any luck, Spring will be just around the corner!
