A number of winter and early-spring blooming shrubs can be pruned as their blooms fade. Also, if you grow grapes, now is the time for heavy pruning.
Winter and Spring Bloomers
- Prune camellia, daphne, forsythia, flowering quince, loropetalum, and viburnum after they finish blooming.
Fruits
- Blueberry: Remove flowers the first year to encourage a strong root system.
- Grapes: Prune established vines in March by cutting back the previous summer’s growth to three to five buds per branch (called spurs). Reduce the number of spurs so they are evenly spaced along the central stem or cordon.
More Pruning Articles by Season
Dig the Good Life with Southern Living Plants
March 18, 2021
Connecting with nature, with our families, and with ourselves, we dig the good life!
Pruning in Early to Mid-Summer (May-July)
July 1, 2020
Find out which plants you should prune in early to mid summer
Late Summer Pruning (August-September)
July 1, 2020
Here’s a short list of plants you should prune in Late Summer
Late Winter Pruning (January-February)
January 12, 2020
The bulk of your pruning will occur in Late Winter, here’s the plants to prune
Autumn Cuttings (October-November)
August 6, 2019
Avoid pruning in early autumn to prevent new growth from emerging prior to frost
