An important aspect of pruning is knowing when to prune plants. Proper timing helps insure attractive, healthy, productive plants. The proper times to prune various woody plants in the yard and garden are indicated below.

Deciduous Trees--While deciduous trees can be pruned anytime during the year, the best time to prune is late winter or early spring before the trees leaf out. Some trees, such as maples, bleed heavily when pruned in late winter or early spring. The heavy bleeding, however, doesn't harm the trees. The trees won't bleed to death and the flow of sap will gradually slow and stop.

Deciduous Shrubs--Many deciduous shrubs are planted in the home landscape for their attractive flowers.

Spring-flowering shrubs bloom in the spring on the growth of the previous season. Two widely planted examples are lilac and forsythia. The proper time to prune spring-flowering shrubs is determined by their condition.

If spring-flowering shrubs need only light pruning, prune them immediately after bloom. Pruning immediately after bloom allows gardeners to enjoy the spring flower display and gives the shrubs adequate time to initiate new flower buds for next season.

If spring-flowering shrubs need heavy pruning is would be best to correct the situation as soon as possible. While heavy pruning will reduce or eliminate the flower display for a few years, the long term health of the shrubs is more important.

Summer-flowering shrubs, such as Rose of Sharon, bloom in summer on the current year's growth. Prune these shrubs in late winter or early spring or after they bloom in the summer, but again if pruning is needed, prune anytime. Summer-flowering shrubs pruned in late winter or early spring will still bloom in summer.