Every spring, your neighbors' shrubs are covered with beautiful blossoms, while yours seem to only muster a few.We wonder what the neighbors do differently. The answer is not that they are giving their shrubs a winter babying, it's that they are providing their shrubs with the right care that integrates some strength building during the dormancy period.
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Check PriceAutumn pruning isn't controlling your plants it's working with nature as it has done for countless years. Once you learn the reasons for the positive responses of the shrubs to the cuts done in autumn, you will have complete confidence in your timing.
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1. Types of Hydrangeas: Paniculata and Arborescens
Because these powerhouse bloomers bloom on new wood, they actually benefit from being cut back in the fall. This is great because winter will allow the stems to strengthen the root systems instead of supporting old, woody stems. However, skip the bigleaf varieties. They bloom on old wood and need those stems to survive.
2. Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)
Now by cutting these back 2/3, it may seem a little harsh, but you will help avoid winter wind damage and allow for more bushy growth from these next year. The reason is that during the cold months, when the top growth is cut back, butterfly bush diverts all of their energy into root growth.
3. Roses (Light Pruning Only)
A light fall trim example is deadwood removal that is wood that has disease; plus wood that is susceptible to wind rock which could damage the root system. For large scale pruning, Spring is ideal, but removing damaged canes now is good to prevent fungal spores from overwintering in your garden.
4. Spirea
Spirea gets rewarded for minor cuts post their autumn flowering. Eliminating a few clustered stems helps to improve air flow and redistributes the plant's energy to strengthen next year's branch structure for additional flowering.
5. Reblooming Lilacs
If shaped lightly in the fall, Bloomerang types will even produce more blooms. The most important thing is not to be too aggressive with the pruning. Just remove the old blooms, and do some light shaping to promote a better branching structure.
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6. Boxwood
By removing weak branches which may harbour disease during the winter, your evergreens remain healthy. Fall pruning stimulates new growth which will harden off before winter sets in.
7. Crape Myrtle
You can remove wood that is dead or damaged, but try not to make any heavy cuts. With autumn pruning, you get to clean up the damage of summer because the plant is concentrating on root development instead of healing from the big cuts you made when pruning in winter.
8. Smoke Bush (Cotinus)
In the spring, cutting back some of the overgrowth and some weak stems will result in stronger growth and improved leaf color. When the plant is dormant, it will re-establish an improved root-to-shoot ratio with more impressive displays.
9. Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
You can keep the native shrub healthy and prevent overcrowding by removing old, woody stems. Fall pruning helps the plants directs their energies towards developing new growth points instead of old, tired stems.
10. Forsythia
Once flowers have bloomed, light fall pruning helps keep the plant’s shape. The period that the plant takes to generate new growth allows new buds to form. This scheduling helps the plant to generate the most significant quantity of flowers for the spring, while also securing the following year’s display.
11. Weigela
For better flowers, try removing around a third of the old canes after blooming in order to help new canes grow. In the fall, pruning encourages the plant to create strong new shoots during the winter. Those shoots will produce a lot of blooms in the spring.
Success In Fall Pruning
The cycle of dormancy in your bushes is supported when you prune during fall. Energy is diverted from old growth and instead focuses on new root development and bud formation. This results in the development of stronger, more resilient plants that show improved flowering and greater tolerance to stress from environmental conditions.
Essential Fall Pruning Tips
To prevent spreading disease, always use tools that are clean and sharp. When making cuts, always cut just above a good bud or branch joint. While pruning, remove all dead, diseased, or crossed branches and shape them as needed. Most importantly, fall pruning will either help or hurt flowering depending on which plants flower on old vs new wood.
The natural life cycles may very well separate the gardeners with the weak shrubs from those with the abundant blooms. When you make pruning cuts in a shrub at particular times and for particular reasons, you are not working against nature, but rather, you are working with nature.
