Key Takeaways
Don’t prune fruit trees too early and never trim spring-flowering shrubs in the winter.Avoid spreading fireplace ashes and minimize the use of deicing salt.If the ground isn’t frozen, don’t stop watering newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennials.
It’s often pent-up energy that pushes a gardener outside in the dead of winter. It all starts innocently enough—you check on a few plants and then gather a few fallen branches. Before you know it, you’re wielding your pruners and shaping up a shrub. What is meant to be winter care is not only unnecessary but, in many instances, outright harmful.
Your garden rarely needs human assistance during winter, and it’s often best to let nature do its thing. It’s especially important to avoid the following common winter gardening mistakes so your garden will have a healthy start to the spring growing season.
Mistake 1: Pruning Fruit Trees Too Early
Timing is everything when it comes to pruning fruit trees, and mid- to late winter is prime time to do While it’s tempting to prune in late fall or early winter when temperatures are still mild, it can disrupt the tree’s preparation for winter. It takes weeks for a woody plant to move nutrients from leaves and small branches back into the tree at the end of the growing season. Pruning too early risks delaying dormancy and making the tree susceptible to cold injury.
Wait to prune until after your area has experienced its coldest average winter temperatures. Many Extension experts advise pruning in late winter when air temperatures start to rise again, and it is simply more pleasant to be outside and prune. Start with the hardiest fruit trees—apple trees in most regions—and then move on to less hardy species as spring approaches.
Mistake 2: Pruning Flower Buds
While winter is the ideal time to prune many trees and shrubs, it is the wrong time to prune most spring-flowering ornamental shrubs. These shrubs have flower buds on what is called “old wood” (branches that are at least one year old). Pruning these shrubs in winter removes flower buds that are just weeks away from opening.
Prune spring-flowering shrubs promptly after they flower. These shrubs include azalea, camellia, daphne, dogwood, forsythia, lilac, magnolia, viburnum, and witch hazel.
Mistake 3: Spreading Fireplace Ash on the Garden
In a cold winter, an active wood-burning fireplace generates a lot of wood ash. Tempting as it might be, don’t spread the ash on your garden without taking a soil test first. Wood ash quickly raises soil pH. If the soil pH is too high (alkaline), plants can’t access vital nutrients. Most vegetables do best in a pH between 5.5 and 7.0. Only spread fireplace ash in your garden if a soil test indicates that it is acidic. And, when using wood ash, apply it sparingly.
Mistake 4: Removing Ice from Trees
Don’t try to remove ice from tree branches; you’ll cause even greater damage. It’s best to leave the tree alone and wait for the temperatures to rise. Snow, on the other hand, can be removed by gently shaking it off the branches of trees and shrubs. Work carefully and slowly to avoid breaking the branches.
Mistake 5: Over-Applying Deicing Salt
If you have a driveway or walkway to clear, avoiding deicing salt completely is not always possible, but apply as little as necessary to melt ice and only apply it where it is needed. Deicing salt that lands on soil around trees, shrubs, perennials, and lawn, as well as salt runoff, can cause plant dehydration and challenging soil problems. Don’t pile salt-laden snow and ice near plants.
Mistake 6: Neglecting to Water New Plants
Winter winds and dry air quickly dehydrate young plants. Until the ground freezes, water newly planted trees, shrubs, and perennials every week or so if there is not sufficient rain or snowfall.
Mistake 7: Not Checking Stored Tubers and Bulbs
One rotting tuber or bulb can ruin an entire stored collection. Check stored tubers and bulbs every couple of weeks. Look for soft spots, slime, or unpleasant odors, which indicate potential decay. Remove any compromised tubers or bulbs.
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