Winter is Best Time for Rejuvenation Pruning in the Mid-Atlantic

Revive overgrown or improperly pruned shrubs with a cutback that stimulates vigorous regrowth

While a light hand is apropos for many pruning jobs , sometimes a wise but heavy deal is needed . greening pruningis a fleshy - handed but efficient method acting to bring overlooked , overgrown , and mismanaged shrub back to their full potential . It is performed by removing every outgrowth at or a few inches above ground level with a uncompromising hand adage , loppers , or even a modest chain saw . For many shrubs in Mid - Atlantic gardens , winter is the pure time to perform rejuvenation pruning . This is because in our zonary range , most woody plant are dormant and therefore expose cut are less probable to become pathways for gadfly and disease ( which are also dormant ) . And , when spring conditions finally arrives , the shrubs will be absolutely poise to push new , healthy growth .

Rejuvenation pruning tames vigorous growers that have gotten out of hand

A vigorous , healthy shrub that has become overgrown , has lose its classifiable configuration or form , or has an overweening routine of deadened stems from overcrowding will be the best candidate for greening cut back . This proficiency can also be a good fix for shrubs that do not flower or fruit to their full potential because individual stems are too unaccented or green to bring forth viable flower bud .

Multistem shrub that generate young growth from their stem arrangement or from the root of stalk are the good candidates for greening pruning .

Here are just a few of the shrubs that will allow rejuvenation pruning :

Please note : If a shrub is in poor cosmopolitan wellness , is depict signs of stress from pestilence or disease , or if more than half its shoot are dead , it may be too faint to convalesce from a complete cutback and could be toss off rather than rejuvenated by this technique .

Dogwoods and willows grown for their vivacious root word semblance will gain from greening pruning every 3 to 5 class .

take away olive-drab sometime growth to make means for a smart new crop of radical .

Proper timing is important

When a shrub is cut to the solid ground , it must rely on reserve store its root to induce torpid or latent buds for regrowth . Therefore , rejuvenation pruning is considerably performed when the plant is fully dormant and most of its nutrient reserve from the preceding growing season are stack away in its root system of rules . In the Mid - Atlantic part , January to early March is the ideal time for a overweight cutback . Red - twig and yellow - twig dogwoods , which are first-class for vacation decorating , may be pruned a scrap in the beginning in wintertime . Dogwoods and willows grown for their vibrant stem colour will do good from greening pruning every 3 to 5 yr to exchange drab old maturation with a bright new crop of stems .

Tip : Bring reduce stems of flowering quince bush or forsythia indoors and place them in warm water to fox the dormant heyday bud on old emergence into producing a few out - of - season blooms .

Post-pruning care will help the shrub recover

strong-growing pruning does get stress to the plant . After trim down a bush back , you may aid the process of regrowth by mulch around the home of the plant with well - compost organic matter . Providing fair to middling wet and an appropriate fertiliser will also maximize regrowth . Choose fertilizers approved for constitutional utilisation or bio stimulants that support overall ground health and economic aid in the process of nutrient cycling .

Mustering the courage to try this proficiency may take a slight faith , but if rejuvenation pruning is done in a thoughtful manner you will be rewarded with a more vibrant and attractive specimen in a few short growing seasons .

see more about pruning

Maintenance Pruning

A fun take on simplifying the pruning procedure

For a comprehensive collection of pruning article from the Fine Gardening archives , check out this great undertaking templet

— Adam Glas is a garden supervisor and rosarian at the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College in Swarthmore , Pennsylvania .

All photograph : Adam Glas

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