Lots of people are baffled by pruning because there are so many rules and so many exceptions to the rules. In today’s blog, we are going to give you some suggestions for what you can prune now before it gets too cold.

Perennial Flowers and Grasses

You can prune back all the long-stemmed flowers like daylilies, tulips, and daffodils if the flowers are faded and the leaves are yellow. Do this if you like a neat and tidy garden. You can also leave this until spring because spent blooms and leaves provide cover and shelter for beneficial insects and wildlife. Some of the spent blooms and leaves and seed pods are even decorative.

Deciduous Growers

Prune your deciduous trees and shrubs if they have dropped their leaves. It’s useful to wait until the leaves drop because you can see the branches better and the trees are becoming dormant.

Dead or Diseased

You can prune anything dead or diseased at any time of the year. The sooner the better. This is when you want to prune branches on your fruit trees that are crossed and interfering with each other’s growth patterns. Just remember that with fruit trees, most apples and pears fruit on growth that is at least 2 years old, so if you prune too much, you will be pruning away next year’s crop.

You can also prune your roses. Some people prune them in the spring before new growth starts. The problem is that if you wait too long and prune new growth in the spring, you may not get any flowers that year. Some varieties bloom on old and new wood.

Please feel free to come and visit our flagship store in Surrey, and we will be happy to talk to you about pruning in your garden. 

Art Knapp has 15 locations across British Columbia and is well known as the go-to garden centre for everything garden-related. Art Knapp, himself, began the business in the 1940's, and now, 80 years later, you can find more than he ever dreamed of in our stores. Come and see us on King George Boulevard in Surrey. 

If you have any questions about this article or want to talk to us about gardening, just give us a call at (604) 596-9201.