Your ornamental trees and shrubs are a valuable part of your landscape. But caring for these plants can sometimes feel like a lot of work.
A big part of ongoing landscape maintenance is keeping up with tree and shrub care. And with tree & shrub pruning, timing is everything.
That includes regular pruning, which benefits not only aesthetics but also overall plant health. While people sometimes think of pruning as a springtime task, many species can benefit from dormant pruning.
In this article, we’ll talk about how dormant pruning for trees and shrubs can be beneficial to certain ornamental trees and woody shrubs.
Understanding the best time to prune plants is important for achieving the best results.
Dormant pruning involves the act of pruning when a tree or shrub is in a state of dormancy. This usually means pruning plants in winter, after they have entered this state.
Dormant pruning for shrubs and trees during non-growing periods can help minimize stress and offer other benefits.
Of course, not all plants should be pruned in the winter. It’s important to understand the best time to prune plants, based on what you have growing on your property.
We know it can be tempting to get out there on a weekend and prune everything at once. But it’s really important to know what types of trees and shrubs you have on your property and what time of year they are best pruned.
For many species, the timing really does matter. For instance, Azaleas have a short pruning window, and if you prune too late, you could ruin their flowering ability or even leave them prone to disease and insect problems.
The key to success boils down to understanding which plants are on your property and how best to care for them.
For plants that can be pruned in the winter, there are some important benefits.
Dormant Pruning Creates Less Stress: A key reason why winter pruning is optimal timing is the fact that your trees and shrubs are already in a “period of rest.” They’re not under a lot of stress from intense heat and reduced water (like in the summer) or from active growth (like in the spring). Homeowners sometimes forget that pruning can be stressful on a plant, so anything you can do to minimize that stress is beneficial.
Minimal Pest & Disease Activity in Cold Weather: The spread of disease and pest problems is also reduced because most pests and diseases are inactive in winter. Anytime you prune your trees and shrubs, you expose them to new threats. Those pruning cuts (or “wounds”) become temporarily weakened points in the tree where a pest or disease could enter. But that’s not the case in the winter.
Improved Spring Growth: Pruning plants in winter can also lead to better spring growth. When you prune in the winter, new foliage has ample time to harden off before the difficult summer conditions begin to stress your plant.
Of course, in addition to the specific benefits of dormant pruning, plants will also experience the overall benefits of pruning, such as improved health and longevity.
Pruning is an essential part of caring for a tree or shrub because it removes dead or dying material, allowing the plant to redirect its energy to the healthy parts. This results in enhanced vigor, color, bloom time, and more.
Dormant pruning for trees and shrubs should be done while the plant is still in a state of dormancy. In Northern Virginia, that is usually the late Fall (end of November) through early Spring (usually, March), but it can obviously vary by year.
It’s important to keep in mind that pruning, in general, has to be more than an annual occurrence if you really want to gain all of the benefits and also keep up with maintaining a neat and tidy property. Pruning plants in winter is one of the best times to do so.
Don’t wait until your small trees and woody shrubs are a complete mess to prune. It makes sense to get on a regular rotation with a professional pruning service that can help keep your trees and shrubs in optimal shape and health.
The bare minimum for a pruning plan with Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape is twice a year, but for most properties, this really is not often enough.
As you probably already know, your ornamental trees and shrubs grow quickly, and it doesn’t take long for them to look messy again.
But pruning is also better for the plant’s health. You want to aim for pruning less of the plant (but more frequently). Optimally, we recommend every other month (5 times per year). That would be the sweet spot for proper pruning.
Another benefit to keeping up with pruning is that it will help make your landscape look more “natural” and less obvious that it has been pruned. We equate this to getting a haircut. You most likely want to maintain your look rather than just go for a drastic cut.
Our landscape maintenance teams offer multiple pruning plans to boost the health and beauty of your small trees and woody shrubs.
Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape Offers 3 Pruning Plans:
Regular pruning helps you maintain a natural, attractive landscape. This also helps you maintain your property value.
We recommend starting a pruning plan to eliminate the hassles and headaches of scheduling this service whenever your plants begin to look shaggy.
Dormant pruning is most commonly performed on deciduous trees and shrubs, which shed their leaves annually. These ornamental trees and shrubs are easier to prune in the winter when branches are not covered in foliage.
It’s easier to see which branches are best to prune and to make structural changes to the tree or shrub during this time.
Of course, other ornamental trees and shrubs can also be pruned in winter, but some caution is needed. For instance, when making pruning decisions, it is important to consider bloom time.
Early spring bloomers should not be pruned in winter, as these plants produce flowers on older branches (which are typically pruned off during a pruning session).
Those flower buds formed during your last growing season and went into dormancy for the winter. Pruning them off in winter means fewer blooms the next growing season. As a result, early spring bloomers are typically pruned in late spring or early summer.
Instead, focus your winter pruning on late-spring and summer bloomers. These are plants that bloom later in spring, typically on new wood that forms during the active growing season.
Examples of late spring and summer blooming plants in Northern Virginia include:
Beautyberry
Abelia
Hydrangea
Crape Myrtle
Virginia Sweetspire
While you have to be most careful with blooming plants, evergreens are much more forgiving. Generally, it is best to prune non-coniferous evergreens during the dormant season.
Boxwoods are a very common evergreen plant here in Northern Virginia, and many properties have them. You can use dormant pruning on your Boxwood shrubs.
Pruning trees and shrubs can be complicated. But it’s important to perform it properly if you want to gain all the benefits and avoid harming your trees or shrubs. Yes, pruning mistakes can actually be detrimental!
While many trees and shrubs can benefit from dormant pruning, others are best pruned at different times of the year. It’s important to know which trees and shrubs you have on your property and when it is most beneficial to prune them.
The best way to get the most out of pruning services is to partner with a professional landscape maintenance company in Northern VA. A pro is going to know exactly what should be pruned (and when) to get the most possible benefits.
At the end of the day, you don’t want to have to worry about pruning mistakes that could ruin your landscape. When you choose to partner with a professional, you can let go of those worries and let them take the lead.
In addition to timing, there are a few other key considerations a professional should take before pruning.
Plants can't be pruned properly without the following considerations:
Hand-pruning varieties that need extra care. (There are some trees and shrubs that should never be pruned with power equipment.)
Taking your personal preferences into account.
Maintaining sharp tools in excellent condition.
You want to work with a company that takes extra steps and has the expertise to know the intricacies of proper pruning. After all, it’s the value of your property that we’re talking about here. There is simply no room for error.
In addition, while pruning is obviously a vital aspect of landscape maintenance services, there are many other tasks to be considered as well. You want to make sure you choose a landscape maintenance professional who can provide comprehensive services to address all your important property needs.
At Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape, we are here to help. We can set up our clients on a pruning schedule that’s right for their property so they can ensure their landscape is always looking and performing its best. It fully removes the burden from your plate, allowing you to simply keep enjoying your property to the fullest.
Plus, we can help you with other vital services like mulching, weeding, and plant health care, which will set your landscape up for maximum success. We can customize a maintenance plan that is right for you, allowing you to enjoy your beautiful ornamental trees and shrubs to the fullest.
Are you ready to ditch the worries associated with keeping your trees and shrubs well-maintained? Get started today! Request a quote, get your customized plan, and relax while we get to work.