The days are getting longer and it’s starting to feel more believable that spring is around the corner.
While warmer weather will add a lot of different gardening tasks to the ‘to-do list,’ right now, it’s still time to watch for winter frosts and prune here and there. Pruning is a critical task for spring plant health, as it frees the plant from old, dying, and diseased matter and enables the vegetation to redirect energy to new growth.
Missing a pruning won’t kill the plant, but it will inhibit its ability to thrive and bloom, so it’s worth taking the time to tend to each species.
Set up for success
If in doubt, err on the side of under-pruning so that the plant doesn’t go into stress
Species that will do well with March pruning tend to fall into two categories: winter and early-spring flowering plants that grow on old wood and late-spring and summer flowering plants that grow on new wood.
Pruning the former right after the blooms have fallen provides the longest period for wood to grow back before next season’s flowering. Pruning the latter ensures that there is a lot of healthy new growth on which buds can form in time for the warmer blooming season.
As with all pruning, make sure you’re using sharp and clean shears to make your cuts. This will minimize the damage done to the plant and reduce the risk of transferring any disease between your plants.
If in doubt, err on the side of under-pruning so that the plant doesn’t go into stress; you can always return on another day and make additional cuts. And avoid pruning on days of extreme weather, since the newly pruned plant will be more vulnerable than before and could suffer damage if immediately exposed to heavy rain or intense cold.
1. Forsythia
Forsythia is a deciduous flowering shrub that is easily recognizable by its long branches covered in small yellow blooms.
Since this species flowers in late winter and early spring, it is a good candidate for March pruning. Simply wait for the last of the blooms to die off and then step in with your shears. Forsythia is fast-growing and can expand several feet in all directions, so pruning is a good way to maintain both the health and the shape of the plant.
First, prune away branches in poor condition, whether through age, disease or damage. Take off a couple of the largest branches, then cut back most flowering branches to about half their original length.
Finally, you can make additional cuts to establish your preferred shape.
If the project is starting to feel too intense, take a break and let the plant settle before finishing the pruning on another day. Some years, you may not need to prune too heavily, so don’t feel pressured to cut a lot off.
2. Winter-Flowering Viburnum
This is a good time to step in and remove dying or weak branches from the plant
Viburnum is a genus that includes over 150 different species, so naturally these come in many different forms: deciduous and evergreen, winter-flowering and summer-flowering.
As a group, they tend to produce clusters of fragrant white flowers, which has made them popular with many gardeners – especially the winter-flowering varieties, since they offer some blooms when many other plants are dormant. If you have a winter-flowering viburnum, then this is a good candidate for March pruning as the flowers should have died off by now.
Though viburnum doesn’t need comprehensive pruning, this is a good time to step in and remove dying or weak branches from the plant.
Also, take care to identify if any branches are rubbing up against each other or blocking other branches from the light; you can remove some of these to increase air flow and general health of the plant.
Finally, you can take this moment to trim any branches that are growing in an undesirable direction, but in general this shrub won’t need annual shaping.
3. Common Dogwood
There are many varieties of dogwood, from trees to shrubs, but the common dogwood is a deciduous shrub that benefits from annual pruning. It’s recognizable by its attractive red stalks and similarly colored fall foliage, which provide some visual interest at an otherwise quiet time of year.
Since dogwood grows quite quickly and can spread if left unchecked, pruning before the springtime growing period will help you maintain shape and size. Wait until after the last frost in your area and then take your shears to the plants.
In some cases, you may just want to prune back older growth and remove any crossing branches. In others, you might want to cut back the stems all the way to a few inches above the ground; this will allow for a more controlled and restrained look, without damaging the plant.
Eventually, it will bloom white flowers and then produce blackish fruit in late summer, so remember that you’re not just styling the red stalks when you make your cuts.
4. Grapes
Grapes are not the most commonly grown plant, but a large part of the U.S. has suitable conditions for this fruit. If you have grapevines, then March is an ideal time to get pruning ahead of the flowering and fruiting seasons.
You will need to cut back the previous year’s growth to only a few buds, also known as spurs, per branch. If there are branches with clusters of spurs close together, prune some of these away so that the remaining ones are evenly spaced along the branch. This will ensure that any grape clusters are still well-aerated and therefore less vulnerable to mold or disease.
While it may seem counterintuitive to reduce the volume of fruit on the vine, this will actually help to improve fruit quality and reduce the risk of flavor dilution.
5. Lavatera
The goal is to maximize the amount of healthy new wood and therefore the amount of flowers you get
Lavatera, also known as mallow, has both annual and perennial varieties. Only the perennials will need pruning – but they really do need it.
This spring-flowering shrub grows on new wood, so it’s important to cut back any old branches before the blooming season kicks in. The goal is to maximize the amount of healthy new wood and therefore the amount of flowers you get.
After the last frost, grab your shears and look for branches with new buds or swellings where new buds will emerge from. You only want to keep these branches, so don’t be shy with cutting back the other dead branches right to the base.
If in doubt over whether a branch is dead, you can bend it gently; a dead branch will snap. Of the stalks with new growth, you want to prune back the branch to just above the buds, which will likely be about a foot above the ground.
Since the shrub is fast-growing, don’t be concerned about it looking too short or small at this point.
6. Smoke Bush
For a tree-like smoke bush, prune away all the branches save for a central stem
Smoke bush is the more common name for Cotinus, a shrub that produces cloud-like sprays of tiny purple and pink flowers that are reminiscent of smoke plumes. Gardeners also like this plant for its intensely-hued foliage, which ranges from yellow to red to purple.
Since this is a spring- and summer-flowering plant, the best time to prune is in late winter or early spring after the last frost.
Smoke bush doesn’t require annual pruning, but might benefit from shaping since it can otherwise grow quite leggy. Older branches may also be less vibrantly colored, so cutting back the older branches to make room for new growth will also mean brighter blooms. In those cases, you can cut the branch down to several inches in length; the smoke bush is hardy and will grow back even with just two or three buds per branch.
You may also want to adjust your pruning habits to the style of plant you want to cultivate: For a tree-like smoke bush, prune away all the branches save for a central stem.
For a bushier shape, cut all branches by several inches to maintain a more compact shape.
7. Flowering Quince
Since flowering quince blooms on old wood and is a late winter- and early spring-flowering plant, it’s suited to March pruning. Wait until the final flowers of the season die and then get cutting, so that the new wood has sufficient time to mature before the following winter.
Where possible, avoid removing any wood that still holds buds. Flowering quince doesn’t need annual pruning, so this is mostly done to help maintain shape.
This species can grow several feet in height, with some varieties reaching up to 10 feet with a similar horizontal spread. So check which species you have as you might need to prune more or less than the average flowering quince.
The shrub spreads out via suckers, so use this time to prune away any sideways growing suckers if you don’t want the shape to widen. However, if you are growing this plant for its fruit, then don’t prune as this will negatively impact fruit production.
Leaving it be will be fine for the health of the plant, it may just look a bit shaggy.
