If you want a lush-looking garden, avoid pruning these plants in the middle of winter
January is when nature goes into hibernation, awaiting the return of spring. But work in the garden and vegetable patch must continue! Among the many chores that need to be done during the cold months, proper pruning must be performed to ensure the vitality of the plants in our garden for the future.
That said, there are several plants that should not be pruned in winter, for various reasons. Below, we provide a list of plants which should not be pruned in winter:
1. Jasmine
Depending on the species, jasmine can flower whether it's pruned or not. But in the former case, it would be best to wait until spring to carry out any pruning in order to ensure the plant flowers later.
2. Conifers
Conifers are evergreen plants that not only offer shelter to small animals and birds during the cold months, but at the end of winter they put out new buds, which are protected by the needles. Pruning in January could expose the new buds to low temperatures, causing them to fall off prematurely.
3. Forsythia
Forsythia is one of the plants that "announces" the arrival of spring with its early flowering at the end of winter; pruning it in January could compromise this blooming. The ideal time for pruning this plant is in spring, at the end of its bloom, in order to guarantee a crop of new buds that will grow in summer and autumn.
4. Hydrangea
There are two reasons not to prune hydrangeas in January: firstly, the permanence of its dried flowers - in addition to having an aesthetic value - protect the new buds from low temperatures. Secondly, since hydrangeas bloom on old stems, pruning in January could compromise the blooming. It's much better to wait until February or March to prune, when the new buds will be clearly visible and the risk of frost is reduced.
5. Bougainvillea
The flowering of bougainvilleas could also be compromised by pruning them in January. This plant should be pruned at the end of winter or early spring, when the new buds begin to emerge. This will help to identify the dry branches which should be pruned.
6. Fruit trees
Trees that produce fruit with pits (such as apricot, peach, plum and cherry) can be damaged if pruned in January, which in addition to exposing them to frost, could lead to a poor harvest in the upcoming summer season.
7. Weigela
Another plant that flowers on the previous year's branches, Weigela should be pruned only after blooming and only around the lower branches to avoid disfiguring it.
Plants that can be pruned in January
In short, it is not recommended to any plants in January that flower in spring. So, which plants can be pruned in January? All pomaceous fruit trees (apples and pears, for example), can benefit from pruning in January, as can almond trees, hazelnut trees, quinces, olive trees and grape vines.