Bad cuts (sap leakage in winter)

Hand tools for pruning

Pruning is a chore that you don’t need to put off until spring. Many trees and shrubs may be pruned this autumn. However,  NOT all landscape trees and shrubs are pruned.  Here are some pruning guidelines to follow:

WAIT to  prune spring flowering deciduous shrubs such as Forsythia, Lilac, Bridal Wreath & Vanhoutte Spireas, Quince, Viburnums, Fothergilla, Weigela, Deutzias, and some others. Add some evergreen flowering shrubs including all azaleas (both evergreen and deciduous) and rhododendrons, Japanese andromeda (Pieris japonica), Mountain laurel (Kalmia), Daphne, and Mahonia.  Wait 3-4 weeks after spring flowering to prune all the above shrubs plus a few others not listed.

DO PRUNE NOW:  Summer flower shrubs should be pruned now while they are dormant to manage size, shape, balance, and uniformity prior to spring growth.  These include Summer Spireas, Panicle hydrangeas (H. paniculata) & Smooth hydrangeas (H. arborescens), Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), Bluemist (Caryopteris), Butterfly bush (Buddleia), Potentilla (cinquefoil), Summersweet (Clethra). and others.

Hold off pruning Big Leaf Hydrangeas (H. macrophylla). They bloom both on old last year’s wood and on new wood.  Wait until spring to determine if winter climes have injured the old wood. After harsh winters Big Leaf hydrangeas may be cutback to 3-5 feet and will bloom mostly on new wood later in summer.

ROSES:  Pruning varies according to the species of roses.  Hybrid Tea, Grandiflora and Floribunda types can be lightly prune back by 25 to 30%.  In the early days of spring, prune to the desired height and width, remove diseased or broken canes, and thin out the interior of the bush.  Shrub roses including Knock Out™, Home Run™, and Carefree™ series are pruned down to 18-36″ in height.  Shorter types like OsoEasy™ and Flower Carpet™ are pruned to 12-18 inches in height.

Don’t Prune Crape myrtles until late winter

CRAPE MYRTLES:  Predicting winter cold is foolhardy, so hold off until spring. In general, crape myrtles need for little annual pruning other than removing dead, diseased, weak wood, and the old seed heads.

DECIDUOUS SHADE TREES:  Prune them now before or after leaf drop. For young, newly developing trees, thin out excess branches, remove lower limb, and shape of the tree’s upper crown.

SPRING FLOWERING TREES:  Wait 3-4 weeks until after spring flowering to prune, mostly for appearance.  Remove dead, diseased, and weak branches and twigs.

Special note: Maples (Acer spp.), Birches (Betula spp.), Yellowwood (Cladrastus), and Dogwoods (Cornus)  exhibit a high sap pressure and often bleed when pruned in late winter and early spring.  If you prune them now, they will “bleed” sap.