Whether we like it or not, winter is here and it is time to do some cleaning and winterize our gardens. There are lots of tasks that need to be done around our gardens now in the fall before the real cold days of winter arrive.

Autumn is the time that we can prune and trim plants before these go dormant for the winter months. There are lots of branches that need to be cut from trees and bushes and this is actually good for the plants in the coming spring season. Most gardeners agree that pruning and trimming at this time of the year is good for the dormant plants as these will support new growth during the spring.

While there are no set standards to winterize your garden because every garden is different, there plenty of chores that can be done now without much effort. For example, if you need to trim some trees of branches that can be easily removed, be sure that you have the right tool for the job. In general, big tree trimming should be done by a professional arborist. However, if a pole pruner is all you need, then be sure to remove no more than a third of the total bud and leaf-bud bearing branches.

Avoid scalping the tree and be sure to cut to the tree’s natural shape. Remove dead branches but make sure these are not dormant ones that can stay on the tree. One way to find out is if the branch looked dead and had no leaves in the summer, it is time to remove it.

You can take a look and prune out diseased limbs and cut below the diseased areas. If you see branches that are in your way where you walk or mow, trim them. You can also take a look for branches that look like they are crossing and prune back the smaller ones. Branches should be cut next to the branch collar which is the area that the bark and trunk meet.

If you have dogwood, walnut, birches and maple trees, these should be pruned in the summer or fall because these will bleed sap when pruned in early spring or late winter. Use caution when pruning evergreens that have needles such as pine or spruce because these will not bounce back from a bad pruning. My recommendation is to only remove diseased or dead branches from evergreens.

 

If you have a rose garden like I do, be sure to prune them in the fall or winter. Somehow, roses do benefit from fall and winter pruning and will come back stronger in the spring. Climbing roses should be pruned right before the leaf buds break and in colder climates this should be done late winter or early spring when danger of frost has passed.

 

Flowering shrubs that you planted as hedges should be trimmed with smooth hedge trimmers. The thing to remember for pruning flowering shrubs is that if it flowers after May, they should be pruned in late winter or early spring and you will have lots of blooms in the summer. Flowering trees like crepe myrtles should be cut back in late winter but spring flowering such as dogwoods and crabapples should be pruned right after they bloom.

 

To your gardening success,
Diana

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