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Time to Prune
Garden Tips Newsletter - February 19, 2001

February is the time to prune those roses. Roses can be pruned from February 15 to March 15. Remove dead and diseased parts of the plant first. Follow this by removing weak canes or branches that are growing toward the center of the plant. Now is also the time (dormant season) to prune abelia, hibiscus, oleander, butterfly bush, shrub-althea, and crepe myrtle. You should NOT prune spring flowering trees and shrubs this time of year. Some spring flowering trees and shrubs are: azaleas, camellia, spireas, Indian hawthorne, wisteria, dogwoods, redbud, magnolia, and fringe tree.

For more information on roses see the MSU publication "Roses for Mississippi," Publication 529.

For more information on pruning see the MSU publication "Pruning Landscape Plants," Publication 204.

These archived newsletters were written by Dr. Lelia Scott Kelly. Kelly is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.