Now that we are starting to lose leaves, the question always comes up - is now a good time to prune? The answer is yes on some plants and no on other plants. But then there’s the greater question - why do we prune at all?

If anything, we probably over prune some of our plants. Why? Because we bought a plant that wants to be bigger than the space we planted it in. So, if you want to minimize your pruning time, be sure to read the plant tag before planting. If you have a space that will allow for a 4-foot-wide and 6-foot-tall shrub, it’s not a great idea to purchase one that says it will grow to 6 feet wide and 12 feet tall. This is especially true if that additional growth is going to put it up against the house, in front of a window, or in the midst of a power line. We all seen some to the pretty severe pruning that PSO does on trees that get tangled up in the power lines. So, to minimize those reasons to prune, select plants of an appropriate size.

Other reasons to prune would be to shape up a plant, thin out growth to improve air circulation, to remove dead branches or to stimulate new growth in your plant.

One thing to remember when pruning is, don’t remove over 1/3 of the plant in one pruning. Pruning out more that 1/3 of the plant is going to set the plant back, possibly make it weaker, and weaker plants are more susceptible to disease. So, don’t remove more than 1/3 of a plant in a single pruning season. The exception to this would of course be if you are removing dead wood. In that case, prune away.

It’s also good to remember that flowering plants, typically should not be pruned in the fall and winter. This is because these plants have already set their buds for next year’s blooms. Hydrangeas are a good example of a plant you don’t want to prune in the fall. It’s tempting, because after those leaves fall off, you are left with a bunch of sticks shooting out of the ground. But, if you prune back these branches, you won’t have flowers on the plant next year because hydrangeas bloom on last year’s wood.

The best time to prune these blooming shrubs etc. is after they have bloomed in the spring/summer. This gives them time to grow new wood to put new flowers in place. Other shrubs that would fit in this category are viburnum, wisteria, glowering quince, and forsythia. The exception to this rule would be abelia, butterfly bush, and Rose of Sharon. All of these should be pruned in the fall or early spring.

Broadleaf evergreens such as cherry laurel, boxwood, holly, mahonia, photinia, and camellia should all be pruned toward the end of winter before spring begins.

Pruning trees is a bit of a different story. Yes, we know how chain saws and ladders work, but for the most part we should leave the tree trimming to the professionals. Yes, we can get out there and do some of what needs to be done, but trees are going to need someone to climb up in there to do the work, and those falling limbs can be unpredictable.

If you need to have your trees trimmed, we suggest you hire a professional arborist. To find a certified arborist in our area, you can visit the website treesaregood.org. This is the website for the national organization of arborists. On the site you’ll find a map, and after a few clicks you can get to a listing of all the certified arborists in our area.

We’ve given you some general guidelines here, but in reality, there are so many different rules for so many different plants we could never cover them in an article. So, we suggest you visit our website since we have a good listing of plants and pruning recommendations for those plants. Just go to our website (www.tulsamastergardeners.org) click on Lawn and Garden Help, scroll down the page and click on the Pruning Guide link. Good luck!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: Joseph OBrien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org