A Pruning Checklist for Anxious Gardeners

Getting anxious to prune your shrubs? Unfortunately, so are a lot of other gardeners. It’s too early for most shrub pruning and in some cases it isn’t even necessary.

Numerous questions about shrub pruning are coming in to the Extension office these days. Based upon the variety of inquiries there appears to be some confusion about the best time to prune the different species.

Pruning should only be done if there is a need. Reasons for pruning are to: remove dead or damaged parts, control plant size and form, train young plants, influence flower or fruit production, rejuvenate old plants and to remove hazardous branches.

Timing is everything when gardening, and this is especially true of pruning. Divide shrubs into three groups based upon recommended pruning season - winter and spring flowering, summer flowering and evergreens.

The winter and spring flowering shrubs include azaleas, camellias, spireas, Indian hawthorn, oriental magnolias and banana shrub. This group forms flower buds during late summer and early fall, carrying them through the winter. Any major pruning should be done soon after the flowering season is over, allowing time for re-growth and bud set during the summer. Azalea pruning, for example, should be completed by mid-June.

The summer flowering shrubs, on the other hand, flower on current season’s growth and should be pruned during the dormant season. These include crapemyrtle, hibiscus, oleander, rose, vitex, althea and abelia. Due to our fluctuating winter temperatures it is often better to wait until February before doing major pruning. Fall or early winter pruning can stimulate growth too early, resulting in cold damage during some years.

Evergreens such as holly, boxwood, ligustrum, juniper, podocarpus and waxmyrtle can be pruned any time. Even though they can be safely pruned during any season, fall is the least desirable time because of potential injury to new growth.

It is best to prune oaks, maples, hickory and other large shade trees during the dormant season or just following a growth flush. Pruning at other times often promoted undesirable sprouting. Trees sprout excessively when pruned during shoot elongation.

Pruning Cold Damaged Perennials

We are seeing cold injury on some of the more tender perennial species. Varying degrees of associated dieback on hibiscus, lantana, oleander, pentas and other subtropicals is evident.

Don’t overreact and prune too early. Wait until late winter or early spring before selectively removing dead and damaged branches and sprouts. Right now, it would be impossible to determine the degree of dieback and the right places to make pruning cuts.

Pruning Reference

More specific pruning information is readily available. Your local Florida Extension office, nursery or landscape professional can provide advice, if needed. The University of Florida offers an 8 page publication online. Go to: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG087.

Question of the Week: I have just planted some young peach trees. Is there any danger of them being damaged by low temperatures? If so, how can I protect them?

Answer: There is no reason for cold protection on newly planted peach trees. The only parts of the trees that are cold sensitive are the blossoms and young fruit. Since these are young trees, you would not expect, nor want them to flower and fruit the first season.