February and March can be the best months to prune your trees and shrubs. Proper pruning care this time of year will create strong branching and crotches to help the plant thrive adverse climate conditions. In our region, we are prone to many different types of weather anomalies. I’ve seen heavy snow in the beginning of October when the leaves were still on the trees, spring ice storms that can coat trees and shrubs with an inch or more of ice and hurricane force winds associated with thunderstorms and nor’easters. Maybe these are the reasons why the lower Hudson Valley has some of the strongest hardwoods on the planet. Native trees such as our Ash, Maple and Oak have been adapting to these changes for centuries in our region and can withstand these harsh conditions.

Generally speaking, each tree grows at a rate depending on its location and soil availability to reach maturity between fifty and one hundred & fifty years (it pays to be organic). In that time period, the tree goes through many growth changes but its ultimate goal is to reach full canopy. Safety pruning your trees to remove dead, broken and diseased wood and let air flow thru the canopy, will help the tree control diseases and pests. Pruning trees should be done by a professional with the proper equipment. Now is the time to call a local tree company to schedule tree work before the spring sap flow.

Shrub pruning follows the same concept only on a smaller scale. Prune the shrub to bring out its natural shape. Pruning shrubs in geometric shapes is very unnatural and can stress out the plant and alter its blooming cycle.

I’d like to finish by saying, in emergency, shrubs and trees can be pruned at any time of the year. When you have the time and patience, that’s the time to prune.