Winter Pruning: What to Prune Now and What to Leave Until Spring

Winter is when many gardeners reach for the secateurs. The leaves have fallen, you can see the shape of every shrub, and there's time to tidy up.

But prune the wrong plant at the wrong time and you can cut off next year's flowers. This guide explains what to prune in winter, what to leave until spring, and what should only ever be pruned straight after it flowers.

The Golden Rule: Old Wood or New Wood?

Before you prune any flowering shrub, ask when it flowers and what it flowers on.

• Shrubs that flower on last year's wood form their flower buds the year before. Prune them in winter and you cut the buds off. These are pruned straight after they flower.
• Shrubs that flower on new wood make their flowers on stems that grow the same year. These can be cut back in late winter or early spring, and they'll flower that summer.

If you're not sure, leave it alone until you've seen it flower. A shrub left unpruned for a year will come to no harm.

What to Do Now (November to January)

Early and midwinter is mainly a time for light tidying and for leaving things be.

• Remove dead, damaged and broken branches on any shrub or tree, especially after storms or heavy snow.
• Cut out plain green shoots on variegated shrubs such as Elaeagnus whenever you see them, or they can take over.
• Leave Penstemon stems standing. The old stems help protect the plant over winter. Cut them back in spring.
• Leave the old flowerheads on mophead and lacecap hydrangeas. These flower on last year's wood, so only remove the old flowerheads in spring.
• Prune climbing roses and wisteria. Repeat-flowering climbing roses are pruned from late autumn to late winter: shorten the side shoots that flowered and tie in the new long stems, but never hard prune the main framework of a young plant. Wisteria needs pruning twice a year, in July and again in winter, or it makes leaves and no flowers.

Late Winter and Early Spring (February to March)

This is the main pruning season for shrubs that flower on new wood, and for roses.

Bush and Patio Roses

Bush and patio roses need a hard prune in late winter or early spring. First take out any dead, damaged or diseased stems, then any that cross or rub. Then cut the remaining healthy stems back to a bud facing outwards, so the new growth heads out rather than into the middle of the bush. Feed them in spring, once they start growing.

Dogwood

Dogwoods grown for their coloured winter stems, such as Cornus 'Anny's Winter Orange', should be cut hard to near ground level each spring. It sounds drastic, but the bright new stems that grow back give the best colour the following winter. Enjoy the stems through winter, then cut them back as spring arrives.

Ornamental Elder

Dark-leaved elders such as Sambucus 'Laced Up' are grown as much for their leaves as their flowers. A hard prune in spring gives the best leaves, though you'll lose that year's flowers and berries.

Other Shrubs to Cut Back in Spring

• Summer-flowering Spiraea japonica flowers on new wood, so cut it back in spring.
• Hydrangea paniculata and arborescens flower on new wood and can be cut back hard in spring. Mophead and lacecap hydrangeas are different: just remove the old flowerheads.
• Penstemons: cut back the old stems once you can see new growth.

Prune After Flowering, Not in Winter

These shrubs flower on last year's wood, so winter pruning cuts off the flowers. Prune them straight after they finish flowering instead.

• Weigela
• Philadelphus (mock orange)
• Forsythia
• Spring-flowering spiraeas, the larger, arching kinds covered in white flowers in spring

Go Gently with Evergreens

• Lavender needs a trim once a year, after flowering, to stop it going woody. Never cut back into bare, old wood, as it won't reshoot.
• Evergreen Ceanothus won't reshoot from old wood if it's cut back hard, so only ever trim it lightly.

For more on evergreen shrubs, see our guide to the best evergreen shrubs.

How to Make a Good Cut

• Use sharp, clean secateurs. A clean cut heals quickly, while a ragged one can let in disease. Clean your blades between plants.
• Cut just above a bud, with the cut sloping away from it so rain runs off.
• Start with the three Ds: dead, damaged and diseased wood comes out first, then stems that cross or rub.
• Wear gloves. Rosemary can irritate skin, and the milky sap of Euphorbia is an irritant too.

Winter Pruning: Your Questions Answered

Can I prune shrubs in winter?

Some, yes. Remove dead and damaged branches any time, and prune climbing roses and wisteria in winter. Leave shrubs that flower on last year's wood, such as weigela and forsythia, until after they flower.

When should I prune roses in the UK?

Bush and patio roses get a hard prune in late winter or early spring. Repeat-flowering climbing roses are pruned from late autumn to late winter.

When should I cut back dogwood?

Cut it hard to near ground level in spring, once you've enjoyed the winter stems.

Should I cut back hydrangeas in winter?

No. Leave the old flowerheads on mophead and lacecap hydrangeas until spring. Paniculata and arborescens hydrangeas can be cut back hard in spring.

Prune Less, Flower More

The secret to winter pruning is knowing when to leave well alone. A little careful pruning now, and the rest at the right time, means more flowers next year. For this season's other jobs, see our February gardening checklist and the UK gardening calendar.

Our garden plants are grown in Britain by growers we know, including the Yorkshire nursery that grows most of them. We check every plant by hand before it's packed, and send it out ready for your garden.