I was visiting in the garden with a dear friend I hadn't seen in a while. She is brand new to gardening and moved into a new-to-her house recently. The yard was very overgrown and unruly and she wanted to know if it was too late in the season to prune. In this particular case, my answer was “yes, it is too late but you need to do it anyway.” And that got me thinking about how important timing can be when working in the garden.
Most gardeners realize spring is the optimal time for doing a lot of yearly tasks. In Tillamook County, early spring (and by that, I mean mid- to late-February) is the very best time to prune roses and fuchsia. It is a good time to prune shrubs or trees that bloom in late summer or fall. We can also plant shrubs and trees in early spring because we generally have some nice rains that do the watering for us. In fact, the only better time to plant a tree or shrub is in the fall when the soil is still a bit warm from the summer and Mother Nature takes over the watering chores.
For spring blooming plants like azaleas and rhododendron, I generally prune within two weeks after they bloom, whenever that may be. Timing here depends on the species and whether they are early, mid or late-spring bloomers. This allows the plants to start setting buds that will develop all summer and bloom next spring.
By the end of June, pruning time should be over for everything that has already bloomed for the year or will bloom in the fall. There are a few exceptions to this rule, of course, and the most popular are the Clematis varieties. There are actually three groups of Clematis and each one has its own pruning period.
Clematis montana 'Warwick Rose'
Group 1 includes the Clematis montana which are the vigorous, deciduous species that have small, flat flowers that bloom in the spring on the previous year’s growth. These are great for climbing up into trees or onto walls. Prune them right after blooming but only when they get overgrown.
The Clematis in Group 2 includes C. ‘Nelly Moser’ and other large-flowering species. These will bloom in early summer on last season’s wood and again in the late summer on new growth. These get pruned in late winter or early spring before new growth starts.
And Group 3 consists of Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ and many other varieties with large flowers that bloom in late summer on growth made this year. They can be cut back hard – almost to the base – in late winter or early spring when the buds first show signs of growth. Sounds scary, but they will re-grow easily and quickly. If you are not sure which type of Clematis you have, check the plant tag or google its name on-line and you should be able to figure it out.
There are other exceptions to not pruning after June if you don’t mind losing some new growth. Any time you have a dead or dying branch, feel free to take it down. Same goes with branches that cross each other or are in the way of people walking. The most important thing to remember is that most of the time, any pruning you do will promote new growth. So be sure to cut those branches back to the main trunk or stem and make a clean cut next to the trunk, leaving no stump. Do forgo any pruning in later summer or fall as you don’t want the plants’ energies to be put toward establishing new growth when they should be storing sugars for the winter months. If there is something that has to be done – say roses to get them ready for winter winds – wait until the plant has gone dormant so it won’t be tempted to start re-growing. Now, with our mild Tillamook climate, this may mean waiting until December or January. In some cases, the roses may never go completely dormant, in which case it best to tie the canes together so they won’t be damaged whipping around in the wind. Then prune them back to about knee-high in February.
The most important part of timing for me is knowing when to stop working. Best to under- prune than over-prune. Take that little extra time to find a quiet spot in the garden and enjoy a glass of wine, a cold beer, or an iced tea. Now that’s perfect timing.
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