January truly is bleak mid-winter, with the garden at its lowest ebb. Deciduous plants are bare of leaves, herbaceous perennials are hunkered below ground, and little dares to grow. Still, while the garden is at rest and less demanding, it’s the ideal time to get to grips with the pruning of various woody plants.
Many evergreens, including box, yew and holly are best pruned now, as their sap pressure is low, so they won’t bleed and lose valuable moisture. Pruning of evergreens can take several forms. Hedges may simply need trimming, while larger free-form trees and shrubs could require a canopy lift or overall reduction. Any older, overgrown specimens may benefit from hard rejuvenative pruning.
Some fruit trees can also be pruned now, before the month is up. The likes of apples, crab apples and pears can be trimmed to encourage heavy crops in the coming year, or they might be in need of complete rejuvenation.
More winter pruning advice:
- How to winter-prune trees and shrubs
- How to winter-prune clematis
- Pruning apples and pears in winter
Plants to prune now:
Winter is the perfect time to prune several groups of plants. They will all perform better as a result of a few judicious snips now.
Evergreens
Reshape, trim or rejuvenate evergreens now. They’re more accessible and their shape is easier to see when other nearby plants are leafless.
Apples and pears
Keep apple and pear trees fruiting well by pruning every winter. Shorten last year’s shoots by about one-third, to encourage new fruiting spurs.
Late-flowering clematis
Cut down late-flowering clematis to 25cm from the base. This stimulates strong regrowth that will carry lots of gorgeous flowers this summer.
Grapevines
If pruned after late winter, grapevines bleed a lot of sap, which can weaken or kill them. Pruning methods vary, depending on space.
Avoid pruning:
- Magnolias: Pruning magnolias now would remove the flower buds. It may also trigger unwanted water shoots (vigorous upright growth) in the centre
- Cherries and plums: These are prone to the fungal disease silver leaf, which can enter through pruning cuts in winter. Delay pruning until summer
- Phygelius and penstemons: Leave the old growth on phygelius and penstemons to act as frost protection. Remove it in spring to encourage new flowering stems
- Early-flowering clematis: Wait to prune until after flowering, otherwise you’ll remove the buds. Check out our guide to clematis pruning for a helpful reminder
Step-by-step: Dogwoods for stem colour
Shrubby dogwoods (cornus) are grown for their vibrant young stems. These stand out particularly well in winter, when these deciduous plants have no leaves. Gardeners have traditionally chosen to prune cornus in January, but this is a job that I like to leave until February or March, to maximise the display time. The youngest stems have the brightest bark, so be sure to prune every year. The prunings can be used as hardwood cuttings to make new plants. Alternatively, get creative and weave them into twiggy garden sculptures or baskets.
from BBC Gardeners World Magazine https://ift.tt/pzaD7GS
