Is Fall for Pruning?

With the weather still mild and leaves down and out of the way, it’s easy to see our bare plants and trees and get ready to prune. Be careful. Pruning stimulates new growth, and most plants intend to be dormant through winter. Here in the Northeast, where the winter can be bitter cold, any fragile new growth that you initiate from pruning will freeze, killing it and potentially the whole plant!

So, this time of year, keep pruning to a minimum, only to remove dead or diseased plant parts or remove broken branches. Otherwise wait until winter or spring to prune.  

• Prune trees, including fruit trees, in late winter.

• Prune spring-flowering shrubs immediately after bloom. 

• Prune summer-flowering shrubs in late winter or early spring. 

• Prune evergreens in winter and early spring; needled evergreens can also take a very modest pruning in early summer.

When you need help with pruning, leaf removal and other fall lawn care, call Gardenin' Angels. We are the preferred landscaper for many homeowners throughout Massachusetts' south shore.