When to prune just might be the No. 1 question that comes up in my garden conversations. Knowing when and how much to cut can be tricky; the answer varies for different plants.
I know we are all in a rush to tidy the garden, but slow down and give Mother Nature a chance to do her thing.
Rhododendrons and azaleas are related, and both bloom on old wood. If you trim the branches during fall months, you will be impeding next year’s blooms. These spring bloomers should be pruned soon after their flowers fade in the spring.
The same rule applies to lilacs and forsythia. Both can grow quite large, and pruning will help keep the plants much more manageable – just make sure to do this after the blooms have faded and before fall when new blooms are nesting and planning to bloom on old wood in the spring.
Think back to the spring when daffodils were unruly, and gardeners counted the hours until they could clean up the spent leaves. Savvy gardeners and long-time Good 2 Grow readers know to leave the leaves so photosynthesis happens and the plant stores energy for the following years. Eventually, the leaves die and are easily raked away.
Even after blooming, plants are busy feeding, growing, and doing their thing to make our gardens beautiful next year. Pruning creates an “open wound” in the plant. If this happens in the fall, the plant is trying to go dormant for winter and does not have the energy to spend healing the cut.
Coneflowers don’t necessarily need to be pruned, but if you must, try waiting until spring. The flowers will dry and provide food for birds, and the stems and leaves will shelter small creatures from the winter weather. A bonus- coneflowers will self-seed, so you can expect new plants next year.
If your Russian Sage is beginning to fall over at the end of the season, mulch it heavily for the winter. In the very early spring or late winter, trim the stems back to about 8 inches above the ground. This will promote new growth, but also, by not cutting back close to the soil, the plant has protection from cold weather damage. The same pruning method works for Lady’s Mantle and Black-Eyed Susans.
Pruning hydrangea can be tricky. It is different for all varieties. If you have a cold hardy hydrangea – the big balls of blooms we often see in traditional gardens – they can be trimmed in the fall because they bloom on new growth.
Oakleaf, big leaf, and climbing hydrangea bloom on old wood and should be trimmed after the summertime blooms fade.
Dead or damaged stems and branches can and should be removed at any time of year. This improves the look of your garden and the plant’s overall health.
Seasonal garden cleanup is good for the garden and the gardener. Everyone wants a well-maintained space, but a tidy, immaculate garden is not always the best for the small ecosystem of your space. When tempted to trim, think about the bigger picture: the garden’s health and the creatures it supports.