However, not everything needs to be pruned.
In many cases, it’s better toleave some plants unpruned.
Meet the Expert
Scott Seargeantis a consulting arborist and owner of Seargeant Landscape & Arboriculture.
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These include deciduous trees likeJapanese maple, fruit trees likeapple trees, andflowers like roses.
Yet some hardy plants don’t need pruning in winter, according to arborist Scott Seargeant.
“Typically, those are plants that bloom on one-year-old wood,” Seargeant says.
“If you prune those in the winter, youll be pruning off the wood that produces flowers.”
What Is One-Year Wood?
One-year wood is young shoot or spur growth on a plant that developed in the previous growing season.
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Instead, prune azaleas in late spring soon after the flowers drop.
Leaving some of the flowers on the plant provides seeds for birds throughout the winter.
Coneflowers
Coneflowers can be left untrimmed throughout the entire winter.
The remaining seeds provide winter food for the birds.
Prune coneflowersin the spring to create lush plants and help them last longer through the spring and summer.
Coral Bells
Coral bells, or heucheras, can be pruned throughout the year.
Yet there is no need to prune coral bells in winter unless you oughta remove dead plant matter.
Prune coral bells in early spring to thin out the plant.
In late fall, remove dead leaves and stems.
Coral bells have particularly shallow roots, so mulch well when overwintering the plant.
Dogwoods
Prunedogwood trees and shrubsin late fall or early spring around March.
Dogwoods can be pruned in winter but it’s not necessary.
After pruning away the dead matter, trim the dogwood tree for shape and appearance.
Avoid trimming the tree in late spring or summer.
Forsythia
Avoidpruning forsythiain the winter.
Instead, prune them in the spring after they have fully bloomed.
Be sure to prune forsythia well before summer, though.
Prune up to one-quarter to one-thirdof the oldest branches.
Those branches should be cut to the ground.
Prune a few of the newer branches for appearance.
Hardy Geraniums
Leavehardy geraniumsunpruned in the winter except to remove dead matter.
Trim hardy geraniums for appearance or to smooth out the shaggy look, if desired.
Beforeoverwintering geraniums, you may want to trim the stems to ground level to preventpowdery mildewfrom developing.
Otherwise, these plants are true to their name throughout the winterhardyand need no additional pruning.
Honeysuckles
Manytypes of honeysuckleswill flower on old wood; these should be left unpruned throughout the winter.
Any flowers on old wood should be pruned in summer after the plant blooms.
Some types of honeysuckles flower on new wood.
These should be pruned in late winter.
Jasmine
Prune jasmine after they have flowered, which usually happens in spring.
So, there is no need toprune jasminein the winter.
Prune up to two-thirds of the jasmine in the spring.
At any time of the year, including winter, prune damaged or diseased branches from the jasmine.
Lilacs
Prune lilacsafter they have bloomed, which is in spring.
Do not prune lilacs in the winter except to remove dead matter.
Pruning lilacs too far down may prevent the flowers from developing.
Magnolias
Prune magnoliassparingly.
Many gardeners like to prune magnolias into a tree shape.
To do so, trim the lower branches to show the trunk.
The bestway to care for red maplesis to let them grow with as little interference as possible.
When you do need to prune red maples, trim them by the end of summer or fall.
Do not cut limbs more than 4 to 5 inches in diameter.
Rhododendrons
Rhododendrons do not need to be pruned in the winter.
Instead,prune rhododendronsafter they have bloomed in the spring.
Pruning can be delayed until early summer, but no later than that.
Trimming beyond that time may harm next year’s buds.
Rosemary
Prune rosemaryafter it has finished blossoming.
Rosemary blooms from spring to summer.
Avoid pruning more than one-third of rosemary at a time.
Because rosemary is a warm-weather plant, strive to move it indoors well before the first frost develops.
Sedum
Leave sedum unpruned as much as possible, and avoid pruning it in the winter.
Always trim off dead or diseased stems and branches.
Tips for Overwintering Plants
Many plants that aren’t pruned in the winter can be overwintered.
Overwintering protects plants by preparing them for upcoming harsh conditions and cold temperatures.
Use these tips tooverwinter your plantssuccessfully:
