When To Prune

Well, the onions and celery and leeks are started in the house now. They're up and doing just fine. So, on a warm day last week I walked out onto the crusty snow in the backyard to see what might be going on with the trees and shrubs. As I suspected, not much. Too early for winter damage to show up, but it is time to sharpen the pruning shears for the annual spring pruning.

Folks always ask us when the right time is to prune, and we always tell them "When the knife is sharp." Liberty Hyde Bailey, the Father of American Horticulture, gave folks the same answer a century ago, but I know he didn't get it from us. We are far more sophisticated today...we have to have a precise time and a precise method for every gardening chore.

But Nature doesn't dictate that with pruning. In fact, it makes little difference to the tree whether you prune it or not. After all, no one prunes them in the wild. We've devised times for pruning that suit OUR needs, not those of the plants. Prune spring flowering shrubs right after they bloom and prune just about all trees in early spring. That works just fine, so long as we sharpen the knives this time of year so that we... prune when the knife is sharp.

—Dr. Bob Gough