Even though these plants will tolerate heavy shearing, their natural form is usually.

Never prune too early in the winter, as incisions can dry out if the temperature drops well below freezing. When pruning, first prune out dead and diseased branches, especially those caused by the winter’s snow and ice.

Unwanted lower branches on all evergreen shrubs. Plants You Should Always Prune in Winter. Abelia. Credit: Eve Livesey/Getty Images.

Because it blooms on new growth from spring through fall, abelia can be pruned in winter. The Southern Beautyberry. Butterfly Bush. Cape Plumbago. Crepe Myrtle. Estimated Reading Time: 4 mins. Look to evergreens to bring some living color to indoor bouquets. Colorado blue spruce cultivars provide a splash of cooling blue that pairs well with bright holly berries or pink winter heaths.

Cutting stems counts as pruning, so harvest thoughtfully. Place stems into warm water for a few hours prior to arranging. Apr 17, Make a Plan to Trim and Shape Your Bushes and Shrubs Choose the Right Time of Year.

The best time to trim your landscape plants depends on the type. You can perform light maintenance trims any time of the year, but if you’re significantly altering a non-flowering plant’s current shape, do it during the winter when the plant is dormant.

The flowers are highly attractive to bees and butterflies, and thanks to their Mediterranean origins lavender plants have good drought tolerance, coping well with light, sandy soils.

A shrub can be less than a foot tall or up to 15 feet tall and may be evergreen or deciduous (dropping their leaves in the winter). Shrubs add color, foliage texture, and structure to a garden. The most popular shrubs are hydrangeas because of their long-lasting blooms. Lilacs, azaleas, roses, and butterfly bush are other popular flowering shrubs.