Function

• Pruning in fall can help reclaim overgrown shrubs and perennials. It can also help summer and fall blooming plants perform at their best next year. It promotes branching and new growth the following spring.
  
  

Benefits

• Pruning removes diseased branches and those that might break in winter storms. Renew hydrangea arborescens and paniculata by pruning in fall for bloom on new wood next summer.
  
  

Time Frame

• Pruning for safety or storm-injury should be done whenever necessary. Pruning for shape or size can take place in late fall when woody perennials enter dormancy. Delay any severe pruning for winter when plants are completely dormant.
  
  

Considerations

• Shrubs that bloom late in the summer like angel trumpets, overgrown woody perennials like bamboo and ornamental grasses are good candidates for fall pruning. Prune fading perennials like hostas and daylilies to remove winter homes for rodents.
  
  

Warning

• Never prune spring-flowering shrubs like forsythia or lilacs in fall. Woody perennials that bloom on the previous year's wood will not flower when old wood is removed.