Pruning is an important aspect of plant care that helps promote growth, maintain shape, and remove dead or damaged branches. While some plants are better pruned in the summer or fall, there are a number of beautiful plants that specifically benefit from being pruned in the winter. Here are 12 plants that should be pruned in the winter for optimal growth.
Pruning these plants in the winter helps stimulate new growth and improve the overall health and appearance of the plant. Pruning when the cold weather prevents your freshly pruned plants from getting infected; and also good for your plants, as it will encourage root system and energy reserves to quickly heal wounds and support vigorous spring growth that will obscure the pruning cuts. If you are in doubt, consult a gardening expert or reference a reputable guide to ensure you’re pruning your plants to the best of your ability.
#1 Butterfly bush
Source: gardengatemagazine
Butterfly bush is a vigorous plant and is an excellent addition to your garden with stunning and fragrant flowers. To enjoy its beauty in your garden, you should keep the plant in check by cutting it down in the winter season. Depending on how old your butterfly bush is, you should need a pruning saw or a pair of loppers to cut back the thickest branches.
#2 Wisteria
Source: town-n-country-living
Wisteria produces a lot of sap; when the spring comes, the sap travels to the branches to provide energy for new growth leaves. For the best, you should prune wisteria in winter before this sap flow happens.
#3 Dogwood shrubs
Source: gardenersworld
Dogwood shrubs are colorful plants. They have bright colors on new branches, but when they mature, they’ll change their color from a bright red, yellow, or orange to a regular dull brown. So, if you want warm hues in your garden the next winter, you should prune your dogwood hard this late winter.
#4 Winter heather
Source: nature-and-garden
Winter heather can brighten up drab your winter gardens. They do well in containers and spreads slowly without being invasive. Unlike other plants on this list which are pruned in the winter to encourage new vigorous growth. Thanks to the attributes of growing and blooming all winter long, so this plant is pruned mostly to remove the die-back and tidy up the plant.
#5 Shrub roses and bush roses
Source: gardendesign
Shrub roses and bush roses should be pruned to make them bushier, along with a mass of rich growth. When you’re pruning roses, cut right above a bud.
#6 Hardy fuchsia
Source: yardngardenland
Fuchsia is a hardy plant that doesn’t need annual pruning, especially if it’s still young. But if you want to enjoy your fuchsia in need of a bit of rejuvenation, let’s cut back the old growth every five years.
#7 Trumpet vine
Source: fassadengruen
Trumpet vine can overgrow any structure so it looks a bit unruly. That is the reason why this plant needs a bit of cleaning up in winter to encourage low flowering and stop the vine from becoming too large and top-heavy. Cutting it back once every few years, depending on how fast yours grows.
#8 Gooseberries and currants
Source: gardeningetc
Gooseberries and currants left unpruned, gooseberries will quickly grow into a tangled mess. If you prune gooseberries in winter, juicy fruits will be your reward.
#9 Deciduous grasses
Source: gardenersworld
Dry grasses can add texture and volume to your winter garden. But when the new growth pops out in spring, the dead material also should be cleared. Simply, shear off the dead grass down to just above crown level, leaving about 6-8 inches in place.
#10 Honeysuckle
Source: gardeningknowhow
Honeysuckle doesn’t need regular once-a-year pruning but when its growth is very vigorous and has become very woody and top-heavy. It’s time for a good winter prune every four or five years to fix the problem. Also, you’ll get to enjoy beautiful flowers this summer.
#11 The smoke bush
Source: gardendesign
The smoke bush is a perfect addition bringing color and texture to your garden. To enjoy stunning flowers, light pruning is enough. To open up the shrub structure, trim back the branches that are crossing in order and cut back any other branches that are growing erratically to maintain the shape of the bush.
#12 Late-summer clematis
Source: greatgardenplants
Late-summer clematis should be pruned in the winter to encourage it to grow vigorously and produce large flowers. In mid-January is the best time to prune, cut it right above the node.
