Pruning plantsis a basic care treatment performed in the garden. Most trees and shrubs are pruned during the winter dormancy (leafless period) or early spring. However, some species are worth pruning in the fall. Most perennials are also pruned in autumn. Checkwhat plants to prune in autumnand how to make autumn cuts so that the plants overwinter!
Trim park and climbing roses in autumn
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Pruning ornamental shrubs in autumn
Autumn cutting of plantsis performed on a warm, cloudy, but not rainy day. Don't do it too late -The best time for autumn cutting is SeptemberThanks to this, the branches trimmed in autumn will have time to lignified and scar the cuts before the frost sets in. Cutting plants too late may damage them by low temperatures.
Avoid cutting sensitive and slow-growing plantsin autumn, such as garden azaleas, rhododendrons or daphnia. We also do not trim forsythia, viburnum and shrubs, because these plants are pruned earlier, right after they fade.
Pruning hydrangeas in autumn
Some owners of bouquet hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) in warm regions of Poland decide tocut out flowering shrub inflorescences in autumnHowever, it is definitely better not to cut until spring. Dried flowers look beautiful in winter accompanied by ornamental grasses.They also look lovely when covered with snow or frost.
The same applies toautumn pruning of the garden hydrangea(Hydrangea macrophylla). Although it is possible to remove faded inflorescences in autumn, we must remember about the risk of cutting off flower buds. Well, the garden hydrangea creates flower buds mainly in the upper part of the shoots and it is very easy to cut them together with the removed inflorescences. Therefore, it is also worth leaving garden hydrangea inflorescences for the winter and not cutting them until spring. If we decide to cut the inflorescences in the fall, remember to remove the inflorescence along with a very short part of the stem, so as not to cut the flower buds, from which the plant will bloom next spring.
Pruning roses in autumn
It is advisable, however,autumn trimming of park and climbing rosesCropped after flowering, they will bloom again beautifully in the next season. In the fall, we prune all dead, diseased damaged shoots that are close to the ground.Every year we try to remove a third of the oldest flowering shoots to make room for new ones.
Pruning lavender in fall
In autumn, it is worth pruning narrow-leaved lavender.Autumn pruning of lavender should be done by mid-Septemberso that the newly produced growths are not damaged by frosts. Such a cut will prepare the lavender for wintering. If you forget to trim the lavender in the fall, you can also do it in spring, but then there is a risk of damaging the flowering buds.
Pruning newly planted hedges in the fall
In autumn, leafy hedge bushes are planted from the so-called naked root, such as privet, alpine currant and European euonymus.Before planting, it is recommended to trim the roots of these plants to a length of 15-20 cmAfter planting, you should also make a crown reduction cut. This treatment reduces the shrubs need for water until the root ball regenerates, which facilitates their adoption and promotes branching.
There are, however, some doubts about the timing of this cut. In many guidesit is recommended to trim the hedge in the fall , immediately after planting. In others, it is recommended not to shorten the shoots until spring. How to get out of such a dilemma?
Remember that hedge plants from the so-called the exposed root can be planted from late September until November.If we plant them in September or early October, prune them immediately after plantingThe plants will still have time to prepare for winter. If you don't plant a hedge until the end of October or November, you can wait until early spring before cutting.
Autumn cutting of fruit trees and shrubs
In September, trim the raspberries . From the varieties that bore fruit in June and July, only two-year-old and weak this year's shoots are removed. And for those that bear fruit in late summer and autumn, trim all the shoots.
In the fall, currants and gooseberries can be cut.These shrubs fall into winter dormancy very early and the autumn cutting does not stimulate their growth anymore and does not affect their frost resistance.Currants and gooseberries can therefore be pruned throughout fall and winter , weather permitting. However, if we decide not to do it, remember to do the spring pruning by March at the latest.
In autumn we cut out damaged and diseased shoots
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The vines are also pruned in autumn , but only a pre-pruning before the spring pruning. It consists in the fact that too long skids are shortened to make it easier to protect the vines for the winter. However, since such an autumn cut weakens the frost resistance of the adjacent buds, the beds are cut with a certain margin, so that in the spring they can be shortened even more by cutting out the frozen fragments. The main cut of the vine, leaving a few buds on each stem, is not performed until spring.
In the case of fruit trees, we usually prune at the end of winter and early spring . After harvest, the early varieties of apple and pear trees are pruned, as well as cherries. However, it is important that the cut is completed by the end of August or the beginning of September.
Late summer and early fall are the basic pruning dates for plumswhich mature early and mid-early, that is from July to August. These are varieties such as peach plum, Cacanska Najbolia, Herman, Kalipso, Katinka, Opal, Renkloda Ulena, Ruth Gerstetter. We prune these plums after the fruit harvest, just like cherries. The remaining varieties of plums, the fruits of which are harvested in September and October, should not be pruned until spring, because pruned in late autumn could freeze in winter.
Perennial autumn cut
In the fall, also trim perennials , removing faded inflorescences. It is good to remove drying parts of perennials, cleaning them of dead leaves and other debris.
We perform autumn pruning of perennials mainly inspecies whose flower shoots do not look aesthetically after flowering, and the dried up and untrimmed parts may become a habitat of diseases or pests. Therefore, we trim the slopes, delphiniums, yarrow, daylilies, spiky liater and funkies. Perennials blooming in summer, such as Echinacea, should be pruned after flowering to force them to bloom again in autumn.
However, not all perennials need to be trimmed before winterIt is worth leaving these plants, whose shoots are durable after drying, do not rot and do not break off. The dried inflorescences of the flat-leaved St. Nicholas, the magnificent sedum, or the light inflorescences of the Patagonian verbena look beautiful. Ornamental grasses, such as Chinese miscanthus or Japanese rosettes, wave beautifully in the autumn wind, and in winter their dried inflorescences look beautiful covered with frost. It is worth waiting until spring to cut these perennials.
How to become confident in pruning plants?
If you are unsure how to cut or simply afraid to do it, the fantastic book "Cutting School" will help you. Thanks to it, you will gain confidence in pruning plants and learn to cut plants so that they grow according to your expectations. After reading this book, your approach to pruning plants will probably change completely!
