By Deborah S. Tukua
www.hollycreekbooks.com

Late winter is the ideal time to remove dead and broken limbs and to shape certain trees, vines and bushes.

The right tool makes pruning a breeze. Loopers, hand clippers and shears help trim and shape everything in your yard from tree branches to vine. Always make clean cuts using sharp, rust-free pruning tools to avoid limb disease and bug infestation. If there is any evidence of rust on the blade or your pruning tools, wipe the tools clean with motor oil or vegetable oil before using. Oil the wooden handles of your pruning tools with linseed oil annually.

Plants to prune in late winter include:
Barberry - remove dead branches or reshape
Boxwood - clip new growth off shrub
Butterfly Bush - remove dead branches or reshape
Clematis – Prune summer-blooming varieties of this climbing vine
Currant
Flowering Dogwood – Remove only dead wood and to reshape
Fruit trees - before blooms or new growth appears
Gooseberry
Grapevines
Holly - bushes or trees
Hydrangea
Lilacs – prune shrub branches to encourage fuller flowering
Pyracanthas - prune overly long shrub stems to keep it in its established perimeters.
Roses - in the first month that no freeze will occur.

This is a general pruning guide. For more specific information on how to prune and when to prune in your area of the country, check with your local garden center or agricultural county extension agent.

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