Pruning Trees and Shrubs: Winter

Pruning Trees and Shrubs: Winter – Updated in 2022!

Winter is an excellent time to prune many trees and shrubs. Learn why and how to prune to remove crossing and rubbing branches, suckers, water sprouts, and damaged wood. Discover the best practices for reducing shrub size, trimming hedges, and carefully removing larger limbs. The results will be trees and shrubs with healthier and fuller growth, better flowers and fruit, and a more attractive home landscape.

Speakers: Extension Master Gardener Molly Newling and Angela McNamara
Zoom session, recorded February 18, 2022

Video of Presentation

Chapter Breaks

1:44 Tools
7:59 Why do we prune?
12:00 When do we prune deciduous shrubs and trees?
16:36 When do we prune evergreens?
18:36 Questions
25:00 How to prune? Kinds of pruning cuts and when to use
42:29 Questions
51:52 Pruning conifers
56:51 Questions
58:54 How to buy a new tree

1:01:30 Suckers and water sprouts 1:04:27 Questions
1:12:21 Things to consider when pruning
1:15:59 The 3-cut method
1:19:14 The one-third diameter rule
1:21:47 Why avoid tree-topping
1:25:32 Resources
1:28:27 Training a new leader branch
1:30:07 Hydrangeas

Resources

Virginia Cooperative Extension

A Guide to Successful Pruning

Pruning Calendars with Lists of Plants

Additional Resources

Pruning Conifers – University of Idaho
https://www.extension.uidaho.edu/publishing/pdf/bul/bul0644.pdf

Why, When, and How to Prune Hydrangeas – MGNV
https://mgnv.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Pruning-Hydrangeas.pdf