Why Prune in Late Winter?

Pruning is essential in maintaining a strong, healthy plant and ensuring it stays beautiful. The best time for pruning many plants is late winter, which is considered February in our area. Deciduous plants have lost all of their leaves by this time and haven’t leafed out yet. Shaping plants this time of year is easier since the structures of the plants can be seen, especially with spring growth around the corner. However, when pruning can be done also depends on weather. Days with freezing cold temperatures and rain are obviously not a great time to be out there pruning, for both you and the plant. If warmer, dry days do occur, that is the best time to get out your tools and get some fresh air.
Most deciduous plants benefit from pruning in late winter, except spring flowering plants such as forsythia, lilac, rhododendron and varieties of mophead hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla cvs), whose flowering can be delayed for the year if pruned in late winter. Beneficial pruning involves being knowledgeable about what’s in your garden if venturing on your own. Remember, you can’t put back what you cut off. Luckily, the plant will grow out should a wrong cut be made. Start little, pruning here and there with some guidance from fellow gardeners and landscapers until you are comfortable with the tools and how the plant performs.
Let’s start with some fundamental principles. Prune with a purpose! Know what you are pruning and why you are pruning it. Sounds simple, but some people get overzealous with pruners in hand. When done right, a plant should have to be pruned very little. Dead and diseased wood, water sprouts and suckers should always be removed. Water sprouts are abrupt shoots that sprout out typically from an above ground portion of the tree or shrub, while suckers sprout near the trunk or below ground from the root system. Both take away energy and nutrients from the plant and disfigure the shape if left to grow. Any crossed or rubbing branches should be removed; open sores invite insects and disease. Always prune to a bud or branch with a 45 degree angle cut. Refer to the diagram with this article.
The tools you need depend on the type of pruning you are performing. Three tools that every gardener should have are a quality pair of hand pruners for small branches up to ¾ of an inch, loppers for medium sized limbs and a folding pruning saw for larger sized branches. When pruning large trees with heavy limbs, near power lines and in areas you can’t reach, call a professional. Always disinfect tools with a 10 percent bleach solution to rid of any lingering diseases.
Make the most informed decisions about pruning by knowing the plant and having some knowledge of plant anatomy. A garden is a labor of love and the amount of time devoted to it reflects in the maintenance of the plants. Use the diagrams with this article as a starting point, and as always, you can call or visit Cape Shore Gardens for more support!
Written by Lauren Popper, horticulturist at Cape Shore Gardens and graduate of Temple University’s School of Environmental Design.