Winter pruning: a special guide

Winter pruning is carried out to primarily keep trees and shrubs in reasonable shape, branch systems spaced and open to sunlight, the removal of dead, damaged or infected stems and to encourage healthy new growth.

Often during a dormant spell it is a good idea to prune many deciduous shrubs especially if they have become overgrown and unmanageable and have outgrown their position. February is often the best month to do this work.

When pruning it is important to use good sharp tools in order to make clean cuts with no tearing to the bark. Try to cut stems back to a joint or an outward facing bud, so you reduce the number of dead snags that are likely to give rise to bacterial or fungal infestation.

Large cuts over three inches in diameter made by a saw should be treated with a sealant to reduce any likely disease problems. Very large branches should be removed carefully in stages ensuring that undercuts are made before cutting from above this stops tearing of the bark on the stem which looks unsightly.

Do not be too hasty with your pruning, assess how much material you need to remove to achieve the desired results. This should never be a case of a snip here and there, very many shrubs survive perfectly well without pruning, so establish what your plant is before you start the process.

Bring a stem or two into Armitage's and our experienced Gardeners will be only to happy to try to identify the plant and offer you advice on the correct measures to take.