Winter pruning time?

It's too early to prune here in Northern NJ. Right now I would need a snow blower to get to anything in my yard.

Same here! (LI,NY zone 7a),

well, it's a mix. It's probably time to prune the crepe myrtles, but DH says no this year. After he pruned them last year for the first time in forever, he says they didn't bloom well. (they didn't bloom good the year before either:)
I will probably prune the smaller ones (mine) this week sometime.
We don't prune anything else in the winter. Probably should, just don't know about it:)

I'm going to be planting so many new areas that I need to open up some sky! The neighbors have agreed that I can take down the limbs of their trees that shade areas where I'll need more sun. Sumac trees (which I dislike) have dominated the top slope in the past 20 years, and it's time for them to go! There will still be several large hardwoods there, and I'll be able to underplant them with flowering understorey trees and plant the back property line with figs, raspberries, blackberries, highbush cranberries, etc., in hopes of luring back some of the birds and native wildlife that have disappeared as a result of the progressive and possibly terminal chicness that now afflicts the neighborhood. I won't be removing anymore mahonias because the birds love them so.

I'm clearing two slopes of Altheas that have spread unchecked, and I'll leave only a tall wild cherry and a redbud, then stairstep brugmansias up the rest of the slope.

Almost every year, the pear tree gets so heavy with pears that one branch comes low enough to block the driveway. We've been accommodating it and parking on the street or in the first half of the drive, but I've decided it can grow the other direction for a while -- guided by some selective pruning.

Some trees are starting to set buds, so this is the last chance to prune the fruit trees.

I have to cut the deadwood out of the giant crape myrtle that was hit by lightning.

I better stop, cause there's no end to the trimming and pruning on my to-do list -- and it all needs to get done before the sap rises! Sheesh! Now I feel like I need to get out the field lights and start cutting tonight!

Well, they say pruning is redirection of growth and , yes, I'm redirecting! Started two weeks ago on the climbers and ramblers(roses). The new leaf break is incredible this past season! Too mild for comfort! I have to start somewhere! Hydrangeas have just been taken care of, and clematis need doing..o and on it goes! Elaine

This message was edited Monday, Feb 24th 1:20 AM

We had a long period of nightfrost (-5 to -8C). So I figuered it would be better to wait with pruning until it gets slight warmer. I've already pruned the grapes end 2002 and some more bushes. But now I'll prune the rest, mainly my Buddleas.

Well there is ice on top of the snow, that about says it all. Will get out there if possible on March 1 (that's when I cut back my tall grasses) and would love to get to the wisteria, but not sure what March 1 will bring here. It is not that far off and there is still a substantial amount of snow.

I pruned my cutleaf Japanese maple, small hollies, too. I also mow my liriope in Feb, to get ahaed of the Daffodils interplanted there. Did not get to my Wisterias before we got 24"+ of snow,but all of the grounds were tidy and ready for God's bounty.

I pruned all my roses, shrubs and trees earlier in January...the time when things get as close to dormancy as they are going to get around here. Everything already is coming to life- roses, fruit trees and shrubs!

I took over the community grden I cultivate last year, knowing absolutely nothing. I've learned a lot on this site that has helped me get going in the right direction.

The lovliest plants in this garden are a few camelias, and on this site I learned that they want pruning shortly after flowering has finished. That's what I did last year (as well as removing every last dead branch and twig on them), and the shrubs are now covered with healthy buds.

There is a single Japanese maple in the garden, sadly planted too deep and in a poor location. I pruned this back last Autumn, as well as removing a couple ill~placed branches..., hoping to improve it's general appearance and thicken the sadly anemic foliage. We'll see if I was successful.

In a rather daring act of hyper~pruning, I totally removed three rather unsightly shrubs from the south~facing border. This area will now be filled with perennials including day lilies, and be backed by some tall grasses (which were put in last Autumn).

To answer your specific question..., it's February in New York..., Spring pruning is a few weeks away.

Adam.

I will have to get the ice off the trees and plants, that is after i take the snow blower to get a path.
Cec
Fairview, Pa

Today I whacked off my roses, Butterfly bushes, Althea, and Lantana. Raked tons of leaves and found blooming crocus, Hellebores, Daphne Odora, Daffs and thrift (creeping phlox). Wish I could get rid of the "spring weeds" as easily!

Yep, I put on my gardening hat and gloves and bravely stepped out onto the balcony. Armed with nothing but a small pair of scissors I attacked the miniture roses and trimmed them up. All 11 were done in about half an hour. Then I made a glass of iced tea, sat down in my favorite balcony chair and admired my handywork. I spent the rest of the afternoon plotting and planning how to fit more plants onto that tiny balcony without taking out the small table and 2 chairs.

I did all of my Mother's yard last week including the roses that eat people alive! Whoever named the Peace rose certainly wasn't thinking of all the thorns on it. It is NOT peaceful to prune that one! LOL

I root pruned what they call the tree of heaven this year. It was HUGE and the only shade in my back yard but it was always loaded with thousands of seeds! And STINK when it is in bloom too! Gastly smell.

I pruned the shrubs in the front yard and the back too and the Japanese maples for better shape. Now I need to plant some trees in my new windbreak area. In two years we want to renew our vows in our own yard so I need to get this thing together soon!

Still under snow here..and very cold..I can only dream of spring pruning.

Buddleija, Snowball Hydrangea, and all Roses have come under the flash of the seccateurs this morning.

I've cut the Buddleija down to 35cm, and left two branches sticking out to 30cm, (brutal or what?).
The Snowball Hydrangea was cut down to 25cm, and all Roses just hacked away down to about 30cm.
It's been so warm here yesterday, and today. We have 10°C, yesterday was 11°, so the plants will be able to handle that easily.

I hope :-D


Wintermoor

I'm in the highlands of Scotland. The weather is still very cold and frosty in the morning, and my roses and clematis hardly get any sunshine. My rose is a climber, I'm not sure which, and am unsure when to prune, the same for my clematis. I was told not to prune until the end of May for both, as risk of frost has passed, but would love some advice from anyone on this.

Hi Percy,
Welcome to DG.

Where are you in the Highlands?

I'm Scottish but live in Hamburg.

All the best


Wintermoor

Well,I'm usually getting ready to take out dead and winter damaged branches on things about now and grumbling about mowing the lawn soon. Not this year!! We had another inch of snow last night!!All I can do is plot and plan,and hope that Spring will eventually come.Usually,we have green grass and bulbs blooming by now....it's been a tiresome winter.

I'm very glad we took advantage of a couple warm days early this month and got the fruit trees pruned at that time. We're getting hit with another snowfall right now, and will probably continue to accumulate throughout today and tomorrow.

I live approx. 12 miles west of Inverness, in the Beauly area. No snow at the moment, although we've had our share this year.

Wintermoor ~~~

I remember last year you showed us pics of your Hydrangea, some of them growing in tubs, I think. They were GORGEOUS.

Adam.

farmer's almanac tells me that in massachusetts i should prune my blueberry bushes march 11 ... i just hope there is enough snow gone by then for me to get to them!

Here's a link Adam.

At the moment it is cut down to 25cm, and just looks like a pile of twigs stuck in the ground, but it will bloom even more this year.

http://davesgarden.com/j/viewentry/13595/
and this was him last April

Wintermoor

I live in CT and all the trees and bushes are under snow
at the moment. What a winter. Can't wait for Spring.

still too cold here in WI

The deer have been doing some unwanted pruning for us. One of our poor little apple trees has really been nipped badly. I threw some well used cat litter around and on it the other day. The Stag's Horn Sumac got chewed on terribly last winter so I have a chicken wire cage over it(it's small) this winter.

I have pruned roses, rose of sharon, and butterfly bush.

Our "winter" is already over, spring is here, so we prune in early January in southern California. This winter was mostly so warm that My roses and deciduous fruits got maybe 2 days of dormancy.

I should have finished my winter pruning already, but with 2' of snow on the ground, it is still some weeks before I can get out to them :( Some are still completely buried under deep piles of snow.

Normally by this time I have all my shrubs that need pruning--pruned and my perennial gardens cleaned up. I too would have to snowblow my way to some--some are actually buried and the gardens--maybe if I could find them :) With more snow due tmw and no higher temps expected anytime soon--it will be awhile before I start any of this.
Raubsville, PA

Haven't started yet - but any minute now........

Like a lot of the rest of you it will be at least 2 months before I can even think of pruning. We still have a ton of snow and the temp has been between -30 to -40 for the best part of the last 6 weeks. Any warmer days we had we got more of the white stuff. I planted to cherry trees three years ago, they are taller than I am and I can only see the top foot of them. So me thinks it will be awhile before I start to prune anything.

oh my trailingon and i thought it was cold here in massachusetts. i'll be grateful for our negative 5 last night. we too are still under snow. in some cases i see only a few inches of the 30" plant stakes i left out over the winter. :)
do all hydrangea bushes need to be trimmed down like that?, in container? i did some trimming on mine last fall,not in containers, but i didn't know what i was doing. i need some knowledge on trimming everything.

i decided to try and make my wysteria into trees. so off went the branches except for a few small ones at the top. here's hoping they do well this year. right now they look like 2 small sticks sticking up out of the ground.

come on spring!!!!!!

Hey deb - I have been pruning my wisteria into a tree for several years. It looks like a tree, about 4 1/2' high and is quite impressive; however, it has never bloomed for me!
Hope you have good luck.

-30? -5? Guess I'll quit sniveling about our lows in the +20s and +30s!!!!

well haighr i guess we both have things to look forward too. mine is maybe 30" tall?

Help! I live in Lexington KY where the ice storm shattered the tops of five of my six large maples. We're still cleaning up around here!!

Oh that is terrible. I'd be down with the chain saw and splitter, but can't get up the driveway just yet!