by Abbey Smith | Feb 5, 2026
Cool weather in North Florida often inspires gardeners to grab the pruners and “clean up” the landscape. But, winter pruning should be selective and intentional. The right cuts can improve plant health, structure, and flowering, while pruning the wrong plant at the wrong time can reduce blooms or increase cold damage. Timing in winter is crucial. Many plants slow down or go dormant, which can make it easier to see branch structure and remove limbs. Some plants benefit from dormancy pruning, because it can help reduce pest and disease pressure and prepare plants for a strong flush of spring growth. However, getting lopper-happy too early can trigger tender new growth to emerge that becomes susceptible to late-freeze injuries.
Hand saw cutting a tree branch. Photo taken 05-01-20.
So, what is safe to prune currently? You should stick with dead, diseased, or damaged trees or shrubs. These cuts improve plant health overall and reduce placement for insects and pathogens to lay waiting during the winter months. Deciduous fruit trees often benefit from a winter haircut as well. Trees that drop their leaves, like plums, apples, and pears will benefit from winter pruning by opening their canopy for light and air and encouraging stronger spring flushes.
An illustration of the pruning structures. On the left is the open center training system and the right is modified central leader. Photo rights: http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/pruning/pruning-deciduous-fruit-trees.html
There are a few plants you should leave alone until the spring. Many spring flowering shrubs like azalea and camellia should be left until spring. This is due to their late winter blooming patterns and should be pruned right after their flowering window. Tender, cold-sensitive plants and evergreens that you are not trying to shape should also be left until the warmer months.
Overall, timing matters when considering cleaning up your landscape during the temperate months. The best pruning principles are knowing why you’re pruning (removing dead wood, etc.) and not removing more than about twenty-five to thirty percent of the live canopy in one growing season. Making correct, angled cuts to promote healing of the pruned areas is also very important to promote growth to come back to the plant.
Winter pruning in North Florida is not about “tidying” everything at once, it’s about timing and purpose. By being selective of what you are cutting and when to leave plants along, you will set your landscape up for healthy growth and beautiful blooms this spring.
For more information:
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/gulfco/2019/01/09/winter-pruning/
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/marionco/2020/01/16/pruning-in-winter
https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/pruning-when.shtml
by Matt Lollar | Jan 29, 2026
Peach and plum trees are prone to diseases and often produce inconsistent yields. The best way to remedy these issues is with proper pruning. Annual pruning reduces disease incidence, improves fruit quality, and increases tree longevity. So when should trees be pruned and how do we go about it?
Pruning Timing
Peach and plum trees should be pruned in late winter before blooming begins. Mid- to late-February is a good time for the Florida panhandle. If trees are pruned too early they may put on new growth too early and be exposed to late winter freeze events.
Heading cut made on a recently planted whip, selecting five scaffolds and stopping terminal growth. Photo Credit: David Lawrence, Auburn University
Pruning Cuts
Two types of pruning cuts are utilized for pruning peach and plum trees; thinning and heading cuts. Thinning cuts remove unwanted shoots from their point of origin. Heading cuts are made about a 1/4 inch above a bud. Thinning cuts are used to open up the tree canopy to increase air circulation and sun exposure. Heading cuts stimulate growth in a desired direction.
Heading cut made to an outward growing bud to promote growth and direction. Photo Credit: David Lawrence, Auburn University
Open Center Training
An open center tree consists of a main trunk and three to five scaffold branches. Scaffold branches are the primary branches originating from the main trunk. These scaffold branches will produce the fruiting wood. At planting, a heading cut should be made to the main trunk about 30 inches above the soil line. This cut will promote lateral growth (scaffolds). If the tree already has lateral growth at planting, three to five scaffold branches can be selected at this time and the heading cut should be made just above these branches. Scaffold branches will be selected during year two of growth if no scaffolds were on the tree at planting. Heading cuts, removing about a 1/4 of each branch, should be made on all selected scaffold branch about a 1/4 inch above an outward growing bud. From the third year of growth and beyond annual maintenance pruning will be performed to maintain the open center growth habit. All damaged or diseased wood, suckers, and water sprouts should be removed. Large branches growing from scaffold branches toward the center of the tree should be removed, along with any upright growth that will shade out fruiting shoots. Downward growth should also be removed. Heading cuts are to be made on remaining growth to encourage desired direction of growth based on bud direction. Excessive fruit wood should be thinned to promote larger fruit and less fruit thinning.
A peach tree pruned with an open center. Photo Credit, University of Florida/IFAS Extension
Pruning peach and plum trees sounds a bit labor intensive, but once it’s part of routine maintenance it will reduce labor during the season and promote the growth of larger and better quality fruit.
by Larry Williams | Jan 22, 2026
Q. My oleander shrubs are overgrown. How severely can they be pruned?
A. Oleanders flower on current season’s growth. So, if you prune just before new growth occurs, you’ll still get flowers. However, severe pruning (removing 1/3 or more of the plant), may result in the oleander not flowering for several years. Pruning severely causes a plant to put all of its energy into recovering the lost growth at the expense of producing flowers. But sometimes the need to severely reduce a plant’s size overrides the need for flowers. Oleanders can grow to a height of 10 to 20 feet with a spread of 10 to 15 feet.
Q. I have a holly bush that has grown too large. Will it recover if I prune it way back? I also have large azaleas that I trimmed back last year but they’re overgrown again. Can I trim them back severely again and have them recover?
A. Hollies and azaleas generally respond well to severe pruning. And they probably will recover. But, as you’ve experienced with your azaleas, plants are designed to grow to a certain height. When you prune to reduce their height, they will regain the growth, again and again. So, you may have a regular job on your hands in pruning these plants every year or so to maintain the desired height. To prune for the sake of reducing the height may result in fewer berries in the case of the holly, if it’s a female plant, and fewer flowers in the case of the azaleas. Eventually, you may decide to remove these overgrown plants and replace them with smaller maturing ones.
Consider replacing junipers that routinely grow over sidewalk instead of pruning to force them to fit. Credit: Larry Williams
The best time to severely prune, sometimes referred to as hard pruning (removing 1/3 or more of the height), is late winter (late February to mid-March), just before new growth occurs. When a plant becomes too large for its location, the problem goes back to planting the wrong plant in the wrong place. The plant is only doing what it is genetically designed to do. It’s a good idea to find out how large a plant grows (both in height and spread) before planting it. To plant a plant that is designed to grow ten feet in height where you need a plant that only grows three feet in height can result in having to routinely prune to “force it to fit.” Sever pruning is usually only a temporary fix as the plant still has the same root system it had prior to pruning. As a result, it usually will regrow to become in balance with its root system. Some shrubs such as boxwoods, junipers and arborvitae do not respond well to severe pruning.
by Lauren Goldsby | Jul 31, 2025
Blueberry flower buds are formed at the cane ends.
When, how, and if you prune your blueberries depends on your goals and how you want to manage your plants. Pruning is usually done to control plant height, open up the canopy, and remove older canes that are less productive. Blueberry canes form flower buds starting from the upper ends of the stems. As plants grow taller, the best berries develop higher and higher. Lower, shorter canes will still produce fruit, but the upper canopy can shade them, leading to fewer berries within easy picking height. Rabbiteye varieties common in the Panhandle can reach 20 feet (7 m) if left unpruned. Some gardeners like leaving the upper berries for birds while harvesting the lower fruit for themselves, while others prefer to prune plants shorter to keep berries within easy reach.
Blueberry plants can be pruned at two main times of year:
After harvest (summer): This is the time to reduce plant height, but it must be done soon after the last berries are picked and before fall, when flower buds form inside the stems. If you wait too long, you risk cutting off next season’s flowers and losing fruit. After summer pruning, it’s a good time to apply an acid-loving plant fertilizer to encourage new growth.
Once buds are visible, it’s too late to prune for height without losing berries.
During dormancy (winter): In winter, you can remove dead, damaged, or old unproductive canes to open up the canopy and allow for new growth. Avoid removing more than 30% of the total canes in a single year. Winter is also when fruit thinning can be done. If there are too many buds on the plant, the berries may stay small. By selectively removing canes, the plant can produce fewer but larger berries.
Pruning can be an important management tool, but it isn’t mandatory. If you choose to prune, make sure to do it at the right time for your goal- whether it’s controlling height, encouraging bigger berries, or simply refreshing older plants. See the chart below for a seasonal guide to pruning and fertilizing blueberries in the Panhandle. Pruning and Fertilizing Handout Download
by Daniel J. Leonard | Apr 21, 2025
Crape Myrtle is likely the most popular landscape tree in the South, for good reason. This species, comprised of varieties in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors, is tough as nails, thriving from the most manicured landscape to neglected parking lot islands. Though they’re easy to grow, beautiful, resilient little trees, they aren’t invincible and only as pretty as gardeners allow them to be. In fact, one of the best ways to ensure a poorly formed, bizarre-looking, disease-prone, short-lived crape myrtle is to commit Crape Murder.
Crape Murder is the twisted art of “pruning” specimens back into horrid shapes. Once shapely trees with well-developed crowns and attractive branching structure are reduced to a ghastly, sawed-off, fence post-like appearance. The large, generally jagged wounds that result from crape murder are slow to heal, if they ever do, and are a prime spot for insect and disease entry. Making matters worse, crape murder is rarely a one-time offense, rather practiced for years on end, never giving the tree a chance to heal, and leading to an early demise.
Previously beautiful ‘Muskogee’ Crape Myrtle murdered in spring 2025. Photo courtesy Daniel Leonard.
So, if the process is so obviously harmful to trees and an affront to evidence-based landscaping, why is it still so widely practiced? There are two primary reasons. First, large crape myrtle varieties like ‘Natchez’, ‘Muskogee’, and others are planted in areas without considering their mature size. These large growing cultivars can reach 30-40’ in height over time and outgrow many landscapes. To prevent this from happening, simply pay attention to the plant tag and consider the mature height of the cultivar. There are many great Crape Myrtle options, like ‘Acoma’, ‘Catawba’, the entire ‘Magic’ Series, and others, that top out at 15-20’ or shorter and many newer dwarf varieties that are smaller still. Second is the common belief that crape murder promotes a heavier bloom. This rationale at least contains some truth. Heavy pruning does tend to stimulate vegetative growth and subsequent flowering in plants – crape myrtle is no exception. However, though you may get larger blooms, they will be fewer than a properly grown crape would have, and the larger blooms often cause the whippy shoots they rest upon to sag and break, especially in wet and windy weather – the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.
Crape murder ruins the aesthetics of Crape Myrtle trees, creates a weak branching structure, and shortens the trees’ lifespans. Photo courtesy Daniel Leonard.
So, if you or someone you know have fallen victim to the above reasoning and dabbled in dendrological decapitation with your own crapes, it may comfort you to know that the damage can be undone over time. The simplest method of fixing crape murder damage is to simply stop doing it and let the tree grow as is. The tree will slowly heal itself but will always be misshapen, with a large, low trunk or two below the scene of the crime and dozens of limbs emerging from the same spot above. It isn’t ideal but I have seen some crapes rehabbed in this manner and they enjoyed a nice, long life. The better method is to wait until the next winter dormant season, break out a chainsaw (the suspected murder weapon), and cut the entire tree back to the ground. The following summer, allow the crape to flush out from the stump (there will be dozens of new shoots) and grow as much as possible. Then, the following winter when the recovering tree sheds its leaves, select 3-5 evenly spaced canes to leave and remove all the rest at the stump. Those 3-5 canes will form the primary branching structure of the rejuvenated tree. From there, you’ll only have to prune lightly each year to remove dead or crossing branching. Then, put up the chainsaw, enjoy your status as an enlightened gardener, and resolve to never prune your crape myrtles ever again.
For more information on Crape Myrtles or any other horticultural topic, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension office. Happy gardening!
