Hands with gloves of gardener doing maintenance work, pruning trees in autumnThere may be snow on the ground, but you can still do some work outside to ensure your trees and shrubs are will groomed for the Spring.

February is a good time to cut back those unruly shrubs and trees because they are dormant.  Also, strong winds and cold temperatures can cause serious damage to plants, shrubs, and trees.  Remove loose branches and stems and prune broken ones to prevent additional damage – how far you prune should be determined by the severity of the injury.  The rest of the pruning should wait until later in the Spring when trees are out of dormancy and easier to assess what is dead or sick.

So, if you need your gardening fix this Winter, get out and do some pruning.  It will pay of come Spring.

To learn more about the Native Designs’ landscaping and hardscaping capabilities or to view our gallery of projects, visit nativedesignslandscaping.com or contact Tom Wolfgang, certified horticulturist, at 610.584.2989.