SPRING (March 21 – June 20)
ROSES – Spring is now the preferred season to prune. Light pruning cuts about 1/3 off the length of the canes. Moderate pruning cuts hybrid tea and floribunda canes back by about 1/2, to about 12-24” high. Hard pruning cuts canes on hybrid tea roses back to about 5-8” above the ground.
LAVENDER – Use sharp garden shears to snip off about a third of the growth. The all-important trick is to know when to shear. Prune anytime once the new season’s growth begins, often around late March, right through to mid-August.
CLEMATIS – “Rhapsody” prune in late winter or early spring (February) and after the first flush of flowers in early summer.
RHODODENDRON – Most pruning should be done in the early spring months of March and April right after blooming has finished. Many Rhodos can be deadheaded right after flowering by simply giving them a light pruning.
HYDRANGEAS – Its best to leave as many dead flower-heads as possible on the plant over the winter. These will help protect the buds below from frost.
Spring is the time to prune hydrangeas. Every year its best to cut the most spindly shoots down to the ground and also one or two of the oldest, scraggliest stems. This will encourage vigorous new stems to shoot. The remaining branches that flowered last year can be cut back to fat buds. These will produce flower heads in late summer.
WINTER (December 21 – March 20)
RASPBERRIES – “Autumn bliss” – Prune canes that held fruit in mid winter, cutting them right back to the ground.
CURRANTS – Cut all canes back to two to four buds the first time you prune them. Yearly, allow four or five shoots to develop until 12 to 15 canes comprise the mature bush, and prune during the dormant season. currant shoots have short internodes and small leaves. Flower buds are located on one-year-old shoots. Head back one year old shoots to the next growing point to force branching. The next growing point can be identified by the slight swelling in the wood and, in early spring, it may even show a bit of green peeking out. Cuts are made ¼ inch before the growth point to preserve the bud.
CEDARS – mid winter