Autumn is a crucial time for pruning – here are four plants that should be trimmed now in order to guarantee better blooms after winter
Angela Patrone Senior Lifestyle Reporter
08:34, 27 Oct 2025
Gardener hand pruning climbing roses with garden pruning scissors(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Despite certain plants being off-limits for October pruning, this month represents the ideal opportunity to trim back others before colder weather arrives – particularly species susceptible to windrock and additional winter harm. Cutting back your plants promotes flowering and maintains their shape, manages wild growth, and minimises disease risk.
Garden lovers get multiple opportunities throughout the year to prune different plants; nevertheless, specific trees and shrubs require urgent care for their health. Lindsey Chastain, the brains behind The Waddle and Cluck – a welcoming destination for home and garden enthusiasts – has shared guidance on which plants require attention immediately.
She explained: “October is a good time to prune back many shrubs and trees as they enter dormancy,” reports the Express. “Proper pruning encourages plants to be healthy and productive. Be sure to sterilise pruners between plants and make cuts just above outward-facing buds.”
1. Rose bushes
During early autumn, rose bushes benefit from trimming by removing any deceased or unhealthy stems and shortening the remainder to between one-third and one-half their initial height. The specialist explains that this “stimulates new growth and flowering for the next season”.
Gardeners ought to slice at a 45-degree angle, targeting just above an outward-facing bud.
2. Hydrangeas
Come October, hydrangeas require freshening up by trimming the stems back to “just above the second set of buds down from the flower head”. Lindsey emphasised that this practice will eliminate the faded blooms and encourage spectacular, new flowering displays.
Garden enthusiasts are advised to identify their hydrangea varieties, as mophead and panicle cultivars require distinct pruning techniques.
3. Fruit trees
Autumn presents the perfect opportunity for gardeners to trim ageing, congested branches on fruit trees, enabling increased light penetration. The specialist recommended that the ideal timing for this procedure is once the foliage has fallen, providing a clearer view of where cuts should be made.
Lindsey proposed: “We like to use ribbon to mark branches before the leaves fall, where the foliage is the most dense.” Following this, it’s merely a matter of severing the branches at either the trunk or primary limbs at a 45-degree angle.
4. Evergreen shrubs
For evergreen varieties including boxwoods and hollies, it is advisable to provide them with a gentle pruning for shaping purposes, though “don’t take off more than one-third of the plant” to prevent harm.
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