Best Season for Pruning Garden Flowers
Flowering shrubs, roses and annual and perennial flowers all look better when well pruned and tended. Pruning also improves the general health of vines, flowers and several blooming plant varieties in addition to forcing plants to produce new blossoms. What is the best season for pruning garden flowers?
Prune flowering vines that bloom each spring on last year's growth right after the new blossoms fade. Flowers on vines for the current year require pruning in the latter part of winter or the beginning of spring before any new growth begins. While you are cleaning up the blooms, it is a good time to prune damaged stems and tangled vines that will stunt further growth.
Keep perennials and annual flowers of the non-woody variety sharp and clean looking with garden pruners throughout the year. Trim off deadhead blossoms and damaged foliage. Remove stray leaves, branches and debris from flowerbeds to give flower gardens a fresh spring look. Pruning garden flowers will remove the leggy look and create bushy new growth, force new flowers and keep the garden looking well manicured.
Prune assorted shrubs during late winter and early spring. During this time, you will be cutting off the old growth so new blossoms of the season are not in danger of being removed. Shrubs to prune during this season include Chinese hibiscus, lantana, Hills of Snow hydrangea, cape myrtle, butterfly bush and oleanders.
- Pruning rose bushes and climbing roses are handled in two distinct ways. Do not get them confused when pruning or you are liable to cut off the new growth producing this year's blossoms by accident. Each spring before the new growth appears, prune off winter kill and damaged canes on bush roses in addition to shaping. Climbing roses work the opposite of bush roses. Only clip the most serious winter-killed portions in the early spring. The remaining canes should be left on the climbing rose. These canes are from last year and will be producing the blooms for this year.