Pruning your landscape during winter is an excellent way to prepare your plants for a healthy spring. We decided to lay out some tips that’ll help guide you on the what, when, and how of winter pruning.

Firstly, what is pruning exactly? Pruning is the measured removal of parts (such as branches, stems, and flowers) from plants. It isn’t done just for shape and style, though. Pruning helps to manage the growth and structure of shrubs and trees, removes dead or diseased stems and branches, and encourages the development of flowers, fruit, and new foliage. Especially when to comes to woody plants like trees and shrubs, pruning is a great way to keep them growing in a healthy fashion.

Four tips for winter pruning:

1. Don’t prune too soon. Winter Pruning should take place in late winter/early spring BEFORE any new growth starts. This allows the plant to put its energy towards producing new, healthy growth when the warmer temperatures of spring roll around. For optimal results, do it on a mild day! Pruning too early can dry out incisions especially since Rochester has winters that drop below freezing well into March.

2. Generally speaking, shrubs and trees that bloom on new growth should be pruned in the winter and early spring, while those that bloom on old growth should be pruned in late spring or summer (i.e., after their flowers fade).

3. When pruning, first prune out dead and diseased branches, especially those caused by the winter’s snow and ice. Remove overgrown and smaller branches. Unwanted lower branches on all evergreen shrubs and trees should also be removed in late winter. In general, your goal is to keep the branches that develop or maintain the structure of the tree.

4. Cut branches at the node, the point at which one branch or twig attaches to another.

Pruning can be a lot of work! It takes patience, basic knowledge, and work. It’s important that you prune safely if you need to utilize a ladder to reach high spots around your landscape. We’d love to help you with your pruning! If you’d like to schedule a winter pruning appointment with JOSH Landscape, please get in touch with us! Contact us online or call 585-582-1212.

For more details on pruning, check out the Farmer’s Almanac for Pruning 101: https://www.almanac.com/content/pruning-guide-trees-shrubs