January 20, 2022

Winter Pruning: When and How

Golly, right here we go once more, dropping 50 levels in just a few hours. When winter and spring-like temperatures intersect, what’s the timeline to chop again native perennials, cold-tender summer time bloomers, evergreen shrubs, timber, and bunchgrasses like Lindheimer muhly?

This week, host John Hart Asher snips some professional recommendation with Julie Clark, founding father of all-women Stronger Than Grime backyard upkeep.

Gardeners all the time ask: “What about yellow bells (Esperanza/Tecoma stans) and Satisfaction of Barbados?” Julie cuts these subtropical perennials again to the bottom in January.

Let’s wait till after the final frost date (or at the very least mid-to-late March) for cannas, gingers, ligularia, and shrimp plant (nonetheless blooming after our first nips). One December on CTG’s go to to Daybreak Houser’s meals forest and wildlife habitat in San Marcos, a hummingbird zoomed in on her shrimp crops.

We will in the reduction of lantanas now, however we will additionally wait, particularly in the event that they’re nonetheless flowering to feed butterflies and different pollinators on heat days. Leaving prime progress (particularly on cold-tender crops) will help shield roots over winter, too. There are numerous opinions about pruning, since wildlife habitat elements into our aesthetics and free time to tidy up for spring’s new progress.

Nonetheless, “It’s rather a lot simpler to get your compost and your mulch laid down if you don’t have so as to add spoonfuls of mulch round massive crops,” Julie stated. I do know that from expertise! Plus, busy panorama firms like Stronger Than Grime can’t stretch issues out for weeks the best way we will ourselves.

Positively we will reduce Turk’s cap browned stalks to the bottom.

Some crops, like flame acanthus, are merely woody sticks proper now, so reduce them to the bottom.

Shear again perennials like Zexmenia (Wedelia acapulcensis) and Copper Canyon daisy. If you happen to’ve underplanted with spring bulbs, you’ll have a clear slate to observe their rapidly rising sprouts.

With shrubby boneset (white mistflower), I like to attend just a few weeks, since seed heads feed small birds. Then I reduce it again to about 8-12” for a bushier form and extra flowers for subsequent fall’s pollinators, like this hoverfly.

I like to attend just a few extra weeks to trim perennials like skeleton-leaf goldeneye daisy, since future frosts will brown them up once more. We additionally don’t wish to push progress whereas the climate’s so indecisive. I don’t take this one right down to the bottom; it’s extra like a critical haircut. Take away lifeless progress and form as you want.

We will prune Salvia greggii now. Julie cuts again to 8-12”, once more eradicating any lifeless progress. She additionally removes branches which are pencil-thick (or so) all the best way to the bottom. Salvia greggii blooms on new progress, so a tough reduce actually makes an enormous distinction in just some weeks.

Sure, it’s painful to chop away flowers if crops are blooming now, however pruning creates a bushier plant that’s extra enticing and floriferous down the highway. My compromise is to go away some flowers and work round them for per week or two, however that’s not all the time very sensible.

Herbaceous salvias like mealy blue sage, velvety Salvia leucantha, and others: reduce to the bottom any time.

Julie recommends chopping again pink skullcap to about 2-4”. On this backyard, native white-flowering flowering gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri) blooms past. Minimize it to the bottom in mid-February.

We will additionally reduce fragrant asters right down to the bottom the place new rosettes are already rising.

I do that regularly, too, since little birds love these seed heads! Plus, lizards and different small creatures tuck in below them.

This is a superb time to maneuver them. Actually, Julie notes that winter cleanup offers us a clearer image of what crops want thinning and what areas want additions. Massive word: Do hold them watered! Julie and John Hart additionally advise watering properly earlier than a freeze (not sprinkling leaves within the freeze, however watering the roots beforehand). Many areas are in waste watering averaging, in order that’s a priority, however moist soil helps insulate roots.

Do wait till March to prune evergreens like boxwood, dwarf yaupon, and others like silver germander, featured right here in Julie Nelson and Kay Angermann’s artistic backyard (taped fall 2019). Its silvery leaves are so beautiful in opposition to sky-blue plumbago. Silver germander might get nipped earlier than winter’s over, so it’s greatest to attend to form. You’ll be able to in the reduction of plumbago now, or depart for later.

We additionally wish to wait till hotter climate to chop again leggy, skimpy cenizos (Texas sage). Julie refreshes them with exhausting cuts, even into thicker wooden.

She talks a bit about regenerative pruning: restoring an unproductive or overgrown plant. “We sort of mix regenerative pruning with our common upkeep all year long,” she notes. “And so we try this sort of clearing as a part of our winter in the reduction of. So, for instance, if it’s already hanging over your sidewalk in March, then you definately in all probability wish to reduce it again just a little tougher than you’ll if it’s securely in its area in March and has room to develop.”

If you happen to’ve received enormous shrubs masking home windows, the overall rule is to prune one-third of the whole top at a time.

Julie and John Hart additionally have a look at strategies for chopping again bunchgrasses like Gulf muhly and Lindheimer muhly, particularly raking out outdated progress for gentle and air. You’ll be able to reduce them again now or depart to take pleasure in their structural magnificence and wildlife habitat.

However, it’s a good suggestion to prune earlier than new progress will get going. John Hart likes to go away inland sea oats till late February after which reduce to the bottom.

Wait till March to form and prune small decorative timber like anacacho orchid, bottlebrush, Cordia boissieri, and Barbados cherry (that’s already browned on prime in my backyard.) It all the time advantages from an excellent trim anyway!

Prune crape myrtles in January and February. Since we might solely contact on that, watch CTG’s video with Trisha Shirey’s crape myrtle pruning demonstration from just a few years in the past.

If you happen to can, wait till after flowering to prune spring-blooming mountain laurels, Mexican plums, and redbuds.

Prune shade timber now, however time is operating out for stay oaks and pink oaks. Keep away from pruning them between February and June aside from security causes and storm or different harm.

Since fruit timber are a complete section on their very own, watch CTG’s “Instruments for Fruit Tree Pruning” and “Peach Tree Pruning” with Zach Halfin of Thigh Excessive Gardens.

There are such a lot of cool instruments on the market, however the fundamentals embody hand pruners and loppers. Shears are helpful for grasses, and a panorama/arborist hand noticed is useful for bigger branches. Loppers, saws, and shears are available many sizes and kinds.

Do you know that Fiskars is a Finnish firm? My distant kin in Helsinki gifted me with these Fiskars pruners just a few years again, and so they’ve put in various busy hours!

Julie and John Hart have tons extra, so watch now!

And thanks for stopping by! Linda