Winter Pruning

        Judicious pruning can enhance the beauty and health of trees and shrubs but poor or overly aggressive pruning can permanently ruin valuable plants. Experts today recommend less pruning than they did twenty years ago. Ideally, before you plant, you should take the mature size of the plant into account. Will it hang over your house? Is it too close to the sidewalk? Will it block windows or doors? Will it interfere with power lines? The basic goal of pruning should be to enhance the natural form of the plant. 

        Late fall and early winter, while most plants are dormant, is an excellent time to prune. Winter pruning of summer or fall blooming plants results in vigorous new growth. Some trees, such as sycamores, may bleed after winter pruning. This is not harmful and will cease once the tree begins it's new growth season. Late winter is also the time to prune Crape Myrtle, Roses, Salvia and, Acacia. 

        There are some plants that thrive on an aggressive pruning. Buddleja, Lantana and many native grasses are some of the plants that can be cut down to about 6 inches high and will return the next season full of blooms. This type of pruning is called complete or aggressive pruning. It is usually done in the fall at the end of the growing season and prior to springs' new growth. Use loppers to cut plants with large stalks and branches. Smaller plants can be snipped with hand pruners. Hedge shears are ideal to aggressively prune grasses and plants with only thin stalks or branches. 

How to Prune
        There are two methods of pruning. Naturalistic pruning, or thinning is used to control the size of plants and still maintain a natural appearance. The first step is to create a rough, round shape with pruning shears. Next, cut back every third or fourth branch to the first large "V". Vary the cut lengths of branches. This opens up shrubs and trees without changing shape. Use hand pruners, pruning shears and loppers. 
The other, less aggressive, method is lacing out. It is often used on trees. There is very little pruning involved, only the removal of crossed or awkward limbs using loppers and pruning saws. Pruning and shaping of young trees should be done slowly over many years. It's best to leave low branches on young trees for the first three years, even though they may interfere with the shape. Leaving the low limbs on allows the tree to develop a strong trunk. After the tree has been in place for several years, you can begin to shape it into it's desired form. You can now remove the low branches, as well as removing any branches with too tight or too wide angles. Never "top" your tree. Topping, or removing most of the limb, leaving only a stub, results in thin, weak new growth at the end of the stub. Damage from topping is difficult to repair. If you are in doubt as to how to prune your trees, call a registered arborist. Trees are a sizable part of your home's value and excessive pruning can destroy that investment.. 

        Use high sharp, high quality hand pruners and loppers for clean, quick cuts. Hand pruners can be used for branches up to ½ inch in diameter, loppers for branches up to 1 inch in diameter and pruning saws for larger limbs. Remove branches and stems flush with the trunk; never leave a stub. 

There are a few "Don'ts" in pruning: 

Don't remove more than 20% of a tree or shrub's limbs, 
Don't leave a stub, 
Don't coat your cuts, 
The most important - Don't cut before you think! 

Pruning Citrus Trees
It's not usually necessary to prune oranges the first four to seven years after planting. After that, most citrus trees require only a twice yearly removal of dead twigs, dead branches and crossed limbs. You should also remove all rubbing or crossed branches, selecting the limb that contributes most to the shape of the tree. Remove any shoots growing from the root stock of the tree. These will not produce fruit. 

Here's a short list of plants that benefit from a light fall pruning. 

Acacia aneura 
Agave 
Anisacanthus 
Coreopsis Cuphea 
Dasylirion wheeleri 
Eucalyptus spathulata 
Gardenia jasminioides 
Geijera parviflora 
Grevillea robusta 
Hesperaloe 
Hibiscus 
Monarda 
Nolina 
Quercus agrifolia 
Yucca 

Pruning Tip 
Young fruit trees and shrubs should be pruned after planting to compensate for root loss that occurs during potting or bagging. Remove approximately 1/2 of the tree or shrub's branches to allow the roots time to grow large enough to support the foliage.