Late season shrub trimming

[wints76]

Is there any risk in doing late season shrub pruning? Winter burn or anything like that?? I am based in MN if that matters.

[Michael Geist Yard Works]

I am not sure about MN. Down here I start going lighter on shrub trimming in December because IF we get a freeze of course the growth slows down. Basic trimming to keep things in shape I do not have any issues with.

[White Gardens]

It all depends on the shrubs.

[Smallaxe]

There is very little problem with when shrubs are pruned. Usually safe with dormancy -- which they are now.
Maples will 'bleed' in the spring if pruned after they have shut down for the winter.
Apples and other fruit trees are suggestted late spring.

All flowering shrubs (generally) prune after flowering. This is where you are going to need to know your shrub. Answer yourself this question on each shrub:
Will pruning now cut off all the flower buds and the tree will be flowerless?
Azeleas for exa. I don't think that now would be a good time to prune azaleas. But I can never get the client to give me the go ahead after flowering.

[mdlwn1]

Sure...lots of burn issuses. If your using pruners...be careful...only the longest unsightly branches. I would NOT be shearing right now. Any new growth or open wound will be toast.

[CapitalLawnGroup]

Whatever shrubs are native to your area, I'm sure you don't have to worry about trimming them. Here in FL I don't worry about trimming any shrubs late in the season when they are native to the area, they will be drought efficient. As long as you don't take more than 25% of the foliage off at a time...

[Smallaxe]

Originally Posted by mdlwn1

Sure...lots of burn issuses. If your using pruners...be careful...only the longest unsightly branches. I would NOT be shearing right now. Any new growth or open wound will be toast.

By 'shearing' I would imagine you are speaking of arborvitaes, yews and junipers as smooth edged hedges. I have never done that this time of year, but we use the pruning shears in the fall or spring to bring back into shape a wide variety of bushes.
I am beginning to think spireas are best pruned back after their first bloom goes brown, but I never have time for all of them in that time of year...

[White Gardens]

Originally Posted by Smallaxe

I am beginning to think spireas are best pruned back after their first bloom goes brown, but I never have time for all of them in that time of year...

I try to hit smaller spireas such as a "Lime Mound" after the first bloom cycle. After they get a trim they seem to have a second bloom cycle, though not as prolific as the first.

I guess I do have some giant "Snow Mound" spireas in my yard and they only seem to bloom once in the spring and that's it for them.

[Smallaxe]

We do often get the second sprirea bloom on the properties that we do prune, but their are others that are just done once in the fall.
When sprieas are just done once in the fall, they really seem to be set back and often take a long time to start up in the spring. They do however always come back and do what spireas do, it is just I don't think it is the most advantageous.

[Kylec3]

when is too late to trim in southern nj...usually we are done our trimming by mid october..but its in november now...have 2 customers who want some trimming before the season is over....arbor vitaes and few different hollow bushes...along with a couple small gold threads i think they are called