Pruning is the process of removing branches or old flowers from plants to balance the plant and let healthy, outward facing buds grow.
Pruning can improve the appearance of your plants, promote healthy growth, and help with insect management.
However, it can have the opposite effect if plants are pruned when they shouldn’t be.
Express.co.uk spoke to Raby Castle’s head gardener, Tim Marshall, and Chris Bonnett, founder of GardeningExpress.co.uk and they both listed the same three plants as ones you must not prune in winter.
Tim said: “As a professional gardener, I would like to emphasise the importance of proper pruning practices, particularly during winter.
“While pruning is an essential part of maintaining healthy and aesthetically pleasing garden plants, there are some species that should never be pruned in the winter months. This is primarily due to their unique behaviour or vulnerability to winter frost.”
Garden plants to never prune in winter
1. Hydrangeas
Many hydrangea cultivars, such as the popular mophead and lacecap varieties, flower on old wood.
Tim wanted: “Pruning them in winter may remove potential flower buds, resulting in a reduced bloom in the following season.”
Chris agreed and warned: “Pruning hydrangeas in winter means you run the risk of cutting those flower buds before they’ve even had a chance to grow.”
Instead, these plants are “best pruned” after they have finished blooming in late summer or early autumn, claimed Tim.
2. Lilacs
Similar to hydrangeas, Chris told us that lilacs also develop their flower buds in the late summer which means you could end up removing these buds and reducing your spring blooms.
Tim added that pruning lilacs in winter may remove the dormant buds which are “essential for next season’s blooms”.
He insisted that these plants are “best pruned immediately after flowering” in spring, allowing them ample time to set new buds for the following year.
3. Lavender
As lavender plants are sensitive to excessive moisture, pruning them in winter may result in a “higher risk of rotting or fungal diseases”, claimed Tim.
Chris agreed saying: “Lavender can be really sensitive to cold and frost and pruning it in the winter will expose it to these cold temperatures. This can cause frost damage and have a negative effect on new growth when the spring comes round.”
While light trimming to remove dead growth can be done in early spring, the “main pruning” should be carried out in early autumn after flowering has finished.
In conclusion, understanding the specific needs of each plant is “crucial” when deciding when to prune. Pruning these particular garden plants in winter can “disrupt their natural cycle, reduce their vigour, and potentially damage their overall health” said Tim.
He added: “Waiting for the appropriate season to prune not only protects the plants but also ensures their continued beauty and vitality for years to come.”
