Don’t Prune These 7 Plants in Fall—or You Could Lose Next Year’s Blooms

When temperatures finally drop, working in the garden is so much more pleasant. Fall is the perfect time to deadhead annuals to get a few more blooms, plant cool-season flowers and herbs like pansies and sage, or add leaves to your compost pile. But there is one gardening chore that shouldn't always be done in the fall—pruning.

Pruning for most trees and shrubs is best done in mid-winter when the plants are dormant . This reduces the chances of new growth being damaged by freezing temperatures. And, for spring and summer blooming plants, pruning in the fall removes the buds that will be next year's flowers. Here are seven plants you should never prune in the fall.

Forsythia

One of the first signs that spring is here is the bright yellow flowers on a forsythia shrub. Prune it in the fall, and you'll have no blooms next spring since the flowers appear on old wood. To keep the fast-growing shrub and its sometimes wild growth under control, prune the shrub back right after the blooms fade.

Azaleas and Rhododendrons

Whether your garden looks like the Master's golf course filled with azaleas or you treasure the blooms of cooler weather-loving rhododendrons, if you want flowers, don't prune them in the fall. The plants belong to the same genus ( Rhododendron ), and bloom on old wood that grows over the summer. The best time to prune them is in the spring or early summer, within three weeks after they bloom. Pruning in the fall, especially in warmer USDA hardiness zones, encourages new, tender growth that can be damaged by winter weather.

Fruit Trees

Whether you have apple, peach, pear, plum, or cherry trees in your garden, fall is not the time to prune them. Pruning in autumn will remove bloom buds and reduce fruit production. The best time to prune fruit trees is in late winter when the trees are fully dormant. Fall pruning can cause damage that invites pests or diseases to invade and possibly kill young trees.

Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are beloved, but knowing when to prune them can be confusing. Old wood blooming varieties—oakleaf, bigleaf, mountain, and climbing hydrangeas—have already set buds that will be next year's blooms. So, pruning them in the fall will leave them flowerless next summer. They should receive minimal pruning (no more than one-third of the height) to control the shape of the plant right after the flowers fade. Any pruning should be finished before the end of August.

Panicle and smooth hydrangeas grow on new wood that emerges in the spring. While they can be pruned in the fall, it's better to wait until cold weather arrives and the plant goes into dormancy.

Butterfly Bush

The pollinator-attracting blooms of a butterfly bush ( Buddleia sp. ) appear in summer on stems of new wood. Once the blooms fade and leaves begin to drop, it can be tempting to get rid of the twiggy shrub in the garden. Pruning in the fall, however, can lead to tender growth that will be killed by freezing temperatures. It's much better to wait until late winter to use loppers to cut back the plant by no more than one-half. Depending on your climate, you'll see new growth appear in late February or mid-March.

Loropetalum

Commonly called Chinese fringe flower, this popular shrub is another old wood bloomer. Pruning in the fall will remove the buds that have set for next spring's show of pink, fuchsia, or white flowers. Wait until next spring or early summer to get rid of unruly limbs or control the size of the shrub.

Viburnum

There are dozens of viburnum cultivars that produce a showy display of white or light pink flowers in the summer. The flowers can range from snowball-sized blooms that resemble a hydrangea to small, delicate blossoms. Once the flowers fade, you can still enjoy vibrant red and orange leaves. Another old wood bloomer, viburnums don't typically need much pruning. However, if you need to control the size of the shrub, wait until after it blooms to cut back about one-third of the height or width. Fall pruning will reduce the number of blooms and can cause winter damage in warmer areas.

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