Prune those plants!

One of the best things about a mild winter is that you can get your spring cleanup underway early. As we head into the middle of March in upstate New York, local forecasters aren't seeing any harsh weather on the horizon. Of course, Mother Nature can be a trickster; she may toss a dodge ball our way in the form of a wicked April snowstorm, but fleeting weather events in early spring rarely damage the landscape permanently. With that in mind, I'll be reaching for the pruning sheers within the next week.

It's best to prune the plants in your yard every year. Trees, shrubs, and perennials have an awful lot of stems, and it's hard to keep them properly shaped and healthy if you don't establish a yearly routine. I think of pruning as an "outdoor housekeeping" activity--comparable to annual interior maintenance routines like painting ceilings and trim. It's vital to remove diseased, dead and damaged stems, which attract insects and invite disease.

As I usually do this time of year, I'm posting the pruning basics so gardeners can avoid the errors that cost plants their lives--and plant owners their hard-earned cash. Below, 4 vital pruning rules:

1. What to prune now: Deciduous shade trees like ash, oak and linden, which are dormant in winter. When pruning, be careful to cut old branches flush against tree trunks--no stumps allowed

2. What to prune soon: All plants that bloom on new growth in summer (examples: crape myrtle, potentilla, butterfly bush). You can cut these plants all the way back in late winter or early spring and they will still flourish and bloom in profusion

3. What to prune later: Any plant that forms flowers on "old" wood, which means that buds are formed on existing stems. Lilac, forsythia, climbing roses and rhododendron fall into this category. These plants must be cut back immediately after bloom in order to give the buds a chance to set for next year. When pruning, cut back the oldest existing canes and stems all the way to the ground. This encourages young stems to grow vigorously, which is healthiest for the plants

4. What can be pruned nearly anytime: Shrubs without visible blooms, grown mainly for foliage, may be cut back anytime. Some prime examples include burning bush, boxwood and barberry. The only time you don't want to take the shears to them is late autumn, which exposes vulnerable plants to harsh winter temperatures before they've had enough time to harden off (not allowing them to recover from their cutting wounds before the dramatic climate switch).

Begin the pruning process now and your garden promises to be a cut above last year. If you're like me, you like to see your landscape improve every year!