Spring Pruning

photo source: ridgeviewgarden.com

Every year about this time, gardeners stand in their yards with pruners in hand ready to cut, whack, saw, and do the meatball. But wait. Not all woody plants should be pruned the same way or at the same time. Other gardeners are intimidated with pruning, get out the hedge sheers or prefer to do nothing. No matter which you are, these helpful tips will boost your confidence and arm you with the know-how to make the right cuts.  

​Pruning Basics

• March is the right time to prune back many trees and shrubs. They are still dormant making it easy to study the branching habit and cut above leaf nodes. 
• Make slightly slanted pruning cuts about 1/4" above a leaf node. Slant the cut away from the bud. 
• Prune non-spring blooming shrubs now before they leaf out.
• Cut back Spirea and Potentilla down to 6” every 2-3 years to reshape and to remove dead branches. 
• Annabelle Hydrangeas can be cut back to 18” from the ground. Wait to cut back other hydrangeas until you see signs of green leaf buds swelling. If you have had trouble with Hydrangeas not blooming, skip the pruning all together this year. 
• Do NOT prune lilacs, Forsythias, Viburnum and other spring-blooming shrubs now. Wait until they have bloomed, then cut back. 
• For an illustration and links to maintenance pruning videos, check out this article by Fine Gardening here. 

The Unprunables
* Some shrubs can be intimidating even for experienced gardeners. Elderberry, Flowering Quince, Forsythia, Mock Orange, and Weigela can be pruned using three different techniques. One is known as rejuvenation which involves cutting all the branches back hard to about 6 inches from the ground. This stimulates an explosion of new growth and is best used when shrubs have grown out of control. If this is too drastic for you, break it into a three-year plan. Every year for three years, remove one-third of the oldest canes to the ground level. By year three, you'll have a completely new, nicely-shaped, healthy shrub.  The other two methods for the unprunables are  described here.

 Other Tips & Resources

• Do not prune trees and shrubs that were planted last year. Give them time to get established first. 
• Invest in a good pruners and a pruning saw. Felco and Corona are both high quality brands. 
• The best pruning book that we know of is a recent release by New York Botanical Garden. Written by Daryl Beyers, The New Gardener's Handbook covers all the basics of gardening. In addition to an informative chapter on pruning, it offers helpful garden tips for even experienced gardeners.  It's a new book on our BGC bookshelf and one worth adding to yours. 

​Fruit Tree Care in Spring
We get lots of questions every spring about fruit trees, including when and how to prune. The following should help answer your questions:

• Check the base of trees for signs of vole/rabbit damage.
• Fertilize late March/early April before growth begins.
• Check plums and cherries for black knot by April 1 to prevent the release of spores. Disinfect pruners between cuts.
• Time to prune!
  • Remove broken, crossed, damaged branches.
  • Remove suckers and water sprouts.
• Begin spraying apple trees to prevent apple scab and other insects/diseases.
  • Spray dormant oil when temps are at least 40 degrees.

Tracy Hankwitz, horticulturist and General Manager at Burlington Garden Center.