Pruning guide
Winter is time to prune your dormant trees and roses. Pruning during Winter reduces stress on the plant. Pruning in Winter is also easier when you can see the structure of the tree without any leaves, helping to identify branches that are crossing over, or damaged.
Come Spring time, it is very satisfying to watch a plant that you pruned in winter come back in with so much vigour and strength.
We have noticed amongst ourselves and our customers that there are those who love to prune and chop everything within an inch of it’s life, and those who are very conservative. It can seem scary to cut off so much of a plant, and almost seems unnatural. But we promise you, most plants will reward you if you give them a trim, and you will soon be excited to get those secateurs out and get to work!
We've written some tips on the basics of pruning, so if you are new to it, this is a good place to start. Of course you can always call us or drop in and ask one of our team if you have a question about a particular plant. Or if you have tools that you need sharpened we can help you with that too!
Top tips
Pruning is much less stressful for a plant that is dormant. However there is an exception – trees in the Prunus family should be pruned in Summer due to issues with fungal diseases.
You will need a few tools for pruning. Secateurs for smaller branches, a pruning saw for thicker branches, long handled loppers for reaching into tree canopies, and hedging shears.
Sharpen your tools before you start. Clean cuts will heal faster than cuts made with blunt tools.
Make sure you prune with clean tools. Sterilise with 70% alcohol solution as you go from plant to plant to avoid passing on diseases.
When making the cut, it’s important not to cut into the trunk of the tree or too far away from the trunk. The ideal place to cut is at the Branch Bark Ridge (pictured here).
Image source: purduelandscapereport.org
The first thing to do is identify any obvious signs of diseased or dead branches and remove them.
Next, remove any branches that are rubbing against each other, as this could damage the tree. Cut them back to where the wood is healthy, and just above a bud or a side shoot, ideally cut around 2mm from the bud. If you cut too far from the bud, the branch will die and can become a source of entry for fungal disease.
Remove inward growing branches.
Once you have tackled the obvious branches, then it’s time to start thinking about the shape of the plant. Try and keep an eye on the overall shape of the plant and keep it balanced. In areas that are a bit sparse, prune to encourage new growth to fill that space.
Before you cut back to a bud, have a look at where the bud under the cut is facing. It is much better to cut to an outward facing bud, so the new growth grows outward and not back into the middle of the plant.
What to prune and when to prune them
Bougainvillea: Prune in early Spring before new growth starts
Buxus: Prune in mid to late Summer
Camellia: Prune immediately after flowering late Winter/early Spring, and before growth starts. Camellias can be pruned quite hard
Cercis: Prune in late Winter or early Spring (if any frost damage then wait until early Summer)
Chinese Star Jasmine: Young plants can be pruned back by about 50% to promote bushy growth. Prune established plants in early Spring to keep within it’s space. Cut back bare stems to encourage new growth from the base of the plant
Choisya ternata (Mexican Orange Blossom): In late Spring after flowering, prune to shape. Can tolerate being pruned hard
Citrus: Prune young trees in Spring. Mature trees can be pruned any time
Convolvulus: Prune in summer after flowering. Don’t prune back to old wood
Cotinus: Prune in late Winter/early Spring
Cyprus: Prune in early summer. Don’t prune back to old wood.
Daphne: Prune after flowering in late Winter/early Spring. Remove old damaged or crossed side branches only. Don’t cut main branches
Escallonia: Prune shrubs in late Spring, and hedges in late Summer. Very tolerant of hard pruning
Euphorbia: Prune in early Spring
Ficus carica (edible fig): Prune in early Spring
Fuschsia: In early Spring, cut main branches back by one third, removing one quarter of the oldest branches as close to the base as you can
Gardenia: In late Spring, remove congested branches and cut dead flower stems back to a strong bud
Hydrangea macrophylla: Spring pruning, cutting old flower stems to first bud. Cut back one third of old wood right back to base
Hydrangea paniculata: Cut back in Spring. Right back to within 5cm of the base of the framework
Crepe Myrtle: Late Autumn/Winter or early Spring. Cut one fifth of lateral branches to main framework
Lavender: In early Spring prune back to within 5 cm of old growth. Do not prune into old wood, as it will not regrow
Magnolia: Prune deciduous trees and shrubs in late Winter, evergreens in early to late Spring
Ornamental grapevine: Prune early Spring, cutting young growth back to restrain it to the allocated space. Pruning again in Summer to keep growth compacted
Passionfruit: Prune in Spring after risk of frost has gone
Pieris: Prune after flowering in late Spring. Thin out branches, cut oldest branches back to 25cm
Pyrus calleryana (Ornamental Pears): Late Winter. Remove damage and thin out branches
Roses: Winter, see our rose pruning guide.
Stephanotis floribunda: Late Winter/early Spring remove the shoots that aren’t flowering. Shorten shoots that are getting too long
Virginia Creeper: New plants should be pruned in Spring, tip prune for branching of side growth. Mature plants should be pruned in late Autumn
Wisteria: Young plants in first year need to be pruned back to healthy bud, around 75cm from the ground. Train leading shoot, shortening side shoots. In second year shorten leader to 60cm above top lateral branch. Trim back the side shoots to 15cm. Prune mature plants in Summer after flowering shortening all side shoots , then prune those stems back to 2nd or 3rd bud in Winter
