7 Plants To Prune In March – Backyard Shrubs You Should Trim This Month:- It is possible for the month of March to be a very busy time in the gardening calendar. This is because the days begin to get longer and warmer, and many plants begin to emerge from their winter dormancy.
The window of time between the end of winter and the beginning of spring is an excellent opportunity to prune a large number of trees and shrubs in order to get your backyard in shape. However, the extent to which frosts continue to occur in your region may have a significant impact on whether you prune some plants in March or whether you have to wait a little bit longer.
7 Plants To Prune In March – Backyard Shrubs You Should Trim This Month
Furthermore, in addition to trimming, there is an ever-expanding list of potential things that you can plant in your backyard during the month of March. Due to the fact that March is the month in which you can plant a wide variety of flowers and vegetables, you can find yourself planting a lot of seeds.
1. COTINUS
Smoke bush is another name for the cotinus plant. As well as its dramatic leaves in shades of purple, red, and yellow, this shrub is cherished for its clouds of small blooms, which give the plant its moniker since they resemble plumes of smoke. Additionally, the plant is admired for its dramatic foliage.
A cotinus is a shrub that requires very little care and maintenance and typically does not need a great deal of pruning. On the other hand, if it is allowed to develop on its own, its branches have the potential to become rather wild and lengthy. Late winter or early spring pruning is important because it helps to maintain the shape of the plant and helps to ensure that the foliage display will be striking.
When smoke bush stems are pruned down to within two or three buds, it fosters new growth, which results in foliage that is more vibrantly colored than older wood. The smoke bush is able to withstand a moderate amount of pruning and will once again flourish.
In addition, it is advisable to remove any wood that is diseased, broken, or dead, as well as any branches that are crossing one another and any branches that are traveling in the wrong direction.
2. DOGWOOD
Shrubs of the dogwood or cornus species are excellent choices for autumnal foliage, and the lovely stems of these plants will continue to be noticeable even during the cold winter months. After taking pleasure in the appearance of the stems of these frost-resistant plants during the winter, annual pruning should preferably be performed in late winter or early spring, after the frosts have passed; March is widely considered to be the perfect period for this task in many climes.
In order to properly prune dogwood, you should do so when the new growth for the year begins to show. When it comes to pruning, you have two choices, and which one you choose may be determined by the age of the shrub or the appearance you are striving for.
You can either perform a severe pruning and cut all of the stems back to only four or five inches from the ground, or you can be a little more careful and remove around one third of the oldest stems, along with branches that are dead, broken, infected, or cutting across one another.
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3. FORSYTHIA
The forsythia shrub is a blooming shrub that begins to produce its blossoms in the beginning of the year, beginning in February. Forsythia should be pruned once its blossoms have finished blooming for the year, which can be anywhere from the middle of March to the beginning of April, depending on where you live.
At any other time of the year, you should avoid pruning forsythia because doing so will diminish the number of flowers that will be produced the next spring and may also be a pruning mistake that might put the health of the shrub in jeopardy.
Pruning forsythia is a short and easy process. Only a handful of the largest branches should be removed each year, along with any branches that are sick, injured, or weak, and any stems that carried blooms during the previous spring should have their length cut in half.
4. FUCHSIA
The fuchsias can be divided into two categories: those that are fragile and those that are hardy and can survive the winter outside. It is possible for those hardy fuchsias to survive the winter without any damage, as long as they let the top growth to protect the plant from the cold weather.
Hardy fuchsias, on the other hand, should be pruned immediately after the risk of frost has gone, which might be in March or April depending on where you live, and the plants have shown the first beginnings of new growth.
This is the optimum time to prune them. Cutting the stems back to a height of around four inches from the ground can be accomplished with a pair of sharp pruning shears. When cutting an older fuchsia that needs to be rejuvenated, one choice is to cut the plant all the way back to near ground level. This provides the opportunity for new productive shoots to emerge from the base of the plant.
5. LAVATERA
Lavatera, which is now officially known as Malva, are commonly referred to as mallows. They can be found in a wide variety of forms, including annual, biennial, and perennial plants, as well as shrub variations. It is necessary to prune the shrub forms of the plants in the early spring and early summer.
If you prune your trees in March, you can help foster the formation of a large amount of new wood that will carry this year’s blossoms. They bloom on new wood that is created during that growing season.
Although it is essential to wait until the frosts have passed in your region, it is possible that this task should be completed later in the month of March, when the risk has been eliminated and the first buds are beginning to break on the plant. The actual process of pruning is quite easy to carry out; all that is required is to trim the shrub back to a depth of approximately six inches from the ground, and new shoots will develop.
6. PEROVSKIA
Perovskia, which is often widely referred to as Russian sage, is an outstanding perennial shrub that can reach a height of up to five feet. Perovskia stems that have been dried out appear beautiful in a winter garden; however, the plants will require pruning in the late winter or early spring following the pruning.
Your climate will determine the optimal time to prune, therefore it is important to keep that in mind. When you begin to notice the first beginnings of new growth sprouting on the shrub, this will be the telltale sign that you should pay attention to. It is necessary to prune the Russian sage with great care in order to stimulate a new growth spurt that will bear the blossoms of the current season.
7. ROSE OF SHARON
Known scientifically as Hibiscus syriacus, the Rose of Sharon is a shrub that grows quickly and does not require a great deal of care. Maintaining its shape and preventing the tall shrub from becoming too unruly can be accomplished through the occasional trimming of the plant.
Because Rose of Sharon is known for taking its time to show signs of life each spring, the best time to prune a rose of Sharon is during its dormancy and before it begins growing again in late winter or early spring. This can be anywhere from March to early May, depending on the specifics of the situation.
In addition to removing any branches that are pointing in undesirable directions, you should also remove any branches that are sick, damaged, or dead. It is possible to revitalise the shrub by cutting away up to one third of the lengths of each surviving branch.
However, it is important to remember the rule of pruning, which states that you should only cut away one third of the lengths of each branch. Performing this kind of trimming will result in larger blooms, but it will also result in a lesser total number of flowers for that particular year.
