Don’t Prune These Bushes in the Fall.
Autumn brings out my neat-loving outdoorsman. I feel an urgent need to zip up my things in the yard before the cold weather hits. After the annuals and vegetables have emptied, I find myself wandering to the bushes and trees. While I understand the desire to clear brush and dead wood to tidy up the yard before winter, for some shrubs and trees it can come back to bite you in the spring. Here are the bushes you should (and shouldn’t) prune in the fall.
Which bushes cannot be pruned in the fall?
Know your hydrangeas
Globe hydrangea varieties benefit from pruning. Anything up to ⅓ of the plant is considered safe, and it’s not just a hack from above. You need to get into the woody stems and make sure you create an air space there. However: this does not apply to paniculate or lacecap hydras , including oak leaf hydras. If you don’t know what variety you have, you can tell by the shape of the flower: if it’s spherical, you can trim it. If it is elongated, then it is a panicle, and in lacy or mountain hydrangeas the center consists of small balls, and on the outside there are lacy flowers. These hydras bloom on old wood, so cutting anything back will just ruin next year’s bloom.
Shrubs that bloom on old wood rather than new wood
Paniculate hydrangeas aren’t the only ones: many shrubs only flower on old wood, meaning the stems look brown and woody. Others bloom on green new wood that grows every year. Understanding the difference is helpful, and many people only learn the hard way.
Forsythia , which blooms with yellow flowers in early spring, is another ancient flowering plant. To give it shape, it must be pruned in late spring. Pruning now will kill your future blooms. The same goes for lilacs, rhododendrons and azaleas.
Magnolias don’t like pruning very much, but if you do, it should be done in the spring after flowering. To tame spirea, which grows quite quickly, it may be tempting to trim it in the fall, but this should wait until spring.
Flowering fruit trees need a break before pruning.
Some plants cannot afford pruning that exposes them to viruses and fungi right before winter, including flowering peach, cherry and plum trees. Even stone fruit trees should be left alone until they go dormant, but flowering fruit trees should wait until spring bloom. Only apples and pears should be pruned in the fall – after harvest.
Shrubs and vines are safe for fall pruning
- If you have a buddleia (butterfly bush) , it blooms on new growth, so fall is a good time to get out the pruning shears.
- By autumn, the gardenia should be dormant and ready to prune dead wood.
- Roses need to wait until late autumn, but at this point they can be cut back sharply and are usually necessary.
- Summer and fall blooming lavender should be cut back by ⅓ each fall after flowering.
The flowering season will tell you what is safe to prune.
With rare exceptions, plants bloom in autumn or spring. Generally speaking, you prune after flowering, so spring flowering plants are pruned in late spring/early summer, and the same is true for fall flowering plants.
However, each plant has different growth habits, and while learning about every plant in your yard can be tedious, you can gradually build a knowledge base as you go. Previously, books such as the Sunset Gardener series enjoyed authority; Now you have the Internet at your disposal, where you can find specific instructions for each individual plant in any format you like. It is also important to have good gardening tools (such as good pruning shears ) and to clean and sterilize them between plants.
Rain and constant dampness are a threat
Autumn is difficult due to heavy rain and variable temperatures. It’s not yet cold enough for viruses and fungi to fight, and constant humidity creates the perfect environment for them to thrive. Therefore, it is often better to prune in winter when plants are dormant, and in late spring/early summer when it is usually less humid. In fact, that’s the secret to understanding your plants – paying attention to the climate.