Winter Pruning: A Gardener's Friend
Pruning Plants in January: Tackle Frost for a Vibrant Yard
Want to give your garden a head start for spring? Brave the cold and do some winter pruning! Not only does it keep your plants healthy, but it also allows you to maintain attractive shapes and manageable sizes. Here's what you should prune in January.
** unlocking the benefits of winter pruning**
Your trees and shrubs are now dormant, making it easy to see their structure and decide where to make cuts. The ground is likely frozen, which makes reaching tricky spots a breeze. Pruning now can significantly improve the overall form of your plants and control their growth come spring. Fresh wounds on shrubs and trees are less likely to get infected in winter thanks to the cold temperatures, making pruning safer for your plants.
what to prune in january
January is the perfect time to prune many plants, and here are a few examples to get you started:
1. Summer-blooming Spirea
Cut back older, woody stems of your spirea to make room for new growth. Prune selectively to give the shrub the shape you want. Remove about one-third of the older growth.
2. Roses (if you have mild winters)
Now is the start of rose pruning season. Remove any dead, broken, or damaged canes and branches. Remove crossed branches and any that rub against each other. If you still need to remove more to shape the shrub, focus on trimming off weaker or older, woodier growth. Don't forget to remove rose suckers.
3. Panicle and Smooth Hydrangeas
These types of hydrangeas are best pruned in winter or very early spring. Remove one-third to one-half of the growth to reinvigorate a shrub and promote new spring growth.
4. Wisteria
Cut lateral branches emerging from the main trunk to promote the growth of more flowers. This is also a good time to remove any branches that are crowded or simply growing where you don't want them.
5. Fall-fruiting Berries (raspberries, blackberries, currants)
Dormant pruning is a must for these berry bushes. Cut old canes right down to the ground, making room for new spring growth. Trim any lateral branches so they are no longer than 12 to 15 inches (30 to 38 cm) to promote larger berry growth later.
6. Arborvitae
Trim arborvitae lightly just to maintain size and shape. Wait until it is at least two years old and wait a little later in the season if you're expecting very cold weather.
7. Rose of Sharon
Trim out dead, damaged, or diseased branches, and trim for size and shape to promote more but smaller flowers if you want. Prune for fewer, bigger flowers by trimming off about one-third of the length of stems.
8. Crepe Myrtle
Pruning crepe myrtle is best done selectively. Thin the shrub or tree by removing crowded, crossed, dead, or damaged branches. If you are training it as a tree, remove lower lateral branches from the main trunk. Finally, trim back branches in the upper canopy that are growing in toward the center.
take the first step towards a blooming spring
Winter pruning is your ticket to an early start to the gardening season. Be thorough and selective, and you'll enjoy healthy, beautiful plants in the spring!
Discover more winter gardening inspiration: 8 flower seeds to start in January and the 7 best vegetables to plant in January.
Author's Bio:
Mary Ellen Ellis has been gardening for over 20 years. With degrees in Chemistry and Biology, Mary Ellen's specialties are flowers, native plants, and herbs. She writes for various gardening blogs and magazines. You can also follow her on Instagram at @greenthumbsisters.
- Spruce up your home-and-garden lifestyle by focusing on winter pruning for your plants.
- Gardening enthusiasts can utilize winter pruning to shape and rejuvenate their summer-blooming Spirea plants in the home-and-garden setting.
