Should I prune during the fall?

That is the question of the season.

Leaving the garden trimmed down and swept up feels like the appropriate closing punctuation for the growing season and creates the blank slate for future gardening aspirations to dream about during the winter months. But wait! There is a best time for most shrubs and trees to be pruned and generally, that is the spring.

With the growing concern about providing habitat for overwintering beneficial bugs, gardeners are encouraged to leave the shrubs and perennial beds in their natural, end of summer state through the winter. Not only is it good for hibernating insects and birds, but it also adds interest to the garden during the frosty cold months.

Need to trim something down to feel like you have finished the gardening season well? Here are some specific dos and don’ts:

• Lilacs, forsythia and rhododendron have already set flower buds for next year. Don’t prune unless you are trying to rejuvenate an older plant. Particularly with lilacs, you would prune out some of the largest, oldest stems to open the plant up for new growth.
  
• On junipers, any brown spots or branches that look dead can be pruned out.
  
• Dogwoods, viburnum, spirea and Hydrangea arborescens (Annabelle, Incrediball, Invincibelle) can be pruned to within 4-6″ of the ground in the late fall.
  
• For all other hydrangeas and ornamental grasses, leave the flower heads on them for the winter. Birds love their seeds and the frosted flowers provide beauty to the garden.
  
• Weigelas, ninebark, potentilla and barberry can be pruned to shape any time.
  
• Do not prune yews or boxwoods until spring.
  
• For roses, remove any dead leaves from the plant and its base and do not trim the bush down as rose hips are very beneficial for wildlife. Install a rose collar around the base and fill it with soil to help protect the root base of the shrub through the cold months. You will remove it in early spring and trim back the plant then.
  

With minimal pruning as outlined above and mulching your beds with fallen leaves, now you can toast the end of the gardening season with the preferred celebratory drink of your choice. If going “au naturel” is new to you, be sure to watch the changes in your garden – you’ll likely see more wildlife and birds visiting.

Countryside Flower Shop, Nursery & Garden Center: 5301 E. Terra Cotta Ave (Rte 176), Crystal Lake, IL: 815.459.8130 : www.countrysideflowershop.com