| At the time of writing, the end of October, the | | | | BEWARE! |
| shade temperature is still about 28 centigrade. I | | | | When it comes to naturally deciduous plants, |
| could be forgiven for thinking that winter is ages | | | | which are generally cold hardy in any case, light |
| away, but in gardening terms, this could be a | | | | pruning is fine, although the heavy seasonal tree |
| costly mistake, despite living in a relatively mild | | | | pruning, or the pruning of rose bushes and Crape |
| winter climate. I live, work and garden in central | | | | Myrtles, should be carried out during the dormant |
| Israel. | | | | season. In mild winter climates, it's important to |
| In some areas the winter lows reach about -2 c. | | | | delay this type of pruning until the later half of the |
| in others, frosts are very rare. If like me, you live | | | | dormant season, and not in the middle of the |
| in a dry Mediterranean climate, typified by mild | | | | winter as in continental Europe or North America. |
| wet winters, then it would be prudent to be | | | | This will be the subject of a future article. |
| aware of the effects that pruning at this time of | | | | So how are you to know which plants are liable |
| year can have on the garden plants, and | | | | to be cold sensitive, and which ones are hardy? |
| particularly on the most precious object in the | | | | Obviously it helps to know the precise botanical |
| garden - the tree. | | | | names of your garden plants, and to check up |
| Before going into that though, let's discuss briefly | | | | their hardiness in literature or on the net. Here are |
| some reasons for pruning in or around the | | | | some general guidelines though which you may |
| autumn. The fall is actually a mini growth season in | | | | find useful. |
| Mediterranean climates. With the drop in | | | | * Evergreens, excluding coniferous plants, vary in |
| temperatures, rise in humidity, and shorter days, | | | | their sensitivity, but are never hardy to |
| plants tend to enjoy a brief period of resurgent | | | | temperatures below say -6 or -7c.Examples like |
| growth after the torrid heat of the summer. It | | | | Olive trees, Carob and various species of Lantana |
| can be worthwhile taking advantage of this, to | | | | come to mind. When in doubt, assume that an |
| encourage compact growth in landscape bushes, | | | | evergreen specimen is sensitive and do not prune |
| which can be effected by light pruning and clipping. | | | | until every possibility of frost has passed in the |
| The same is true of many herbaceous flowering | | | | following spring. |
| perennials, whose flowers have withered, and look | | | | * Plants that drop their leaves in the winter, may |
| somewhat lank and "leggy". Some ornamental | | | | not be naturally deciduous, but may in fact be of |
| grasses tend to look extremely poor as winter | | | | tropical or sub-tropical origin, and the leaf drop |
| approaches, while pruning them down, encourages | | | | occurs in reaction to the relative cold to which the |
| new growth before the low temperatures curtail | | | | plant is exposed to during the winter. Here lies a |
| further growth until the spring. | | | | potentially nasty trap, because species in this |
| There is no problem in pruning cold hardy plants in | | | | category, like Duranta or Lantana for instance, |
| the winter, but cold sensitive species are liable to | | | | can be highly marginal for your area in the best of |
| be damaged, sometimes fatally so, by being cut | | | | circumstances. |
| during the cold season, or in proximity to it. To be | | | | * These types must never be touched until the |
| safe, cold sensitive plants should not be touched | | | | spring. On the other hand, and this where things |
| from about six to eight weeks before the | | | | can get a bit complicated, the worst time to |
| possibility of frost or chilly temperatures. | | | | heavily prune the real deciduous plants is during |
| The reason is that wounds to non-hardy plants | | | | the spring, as the sap rises through the wood |
| caused by pruning cuts, are highly likely to be the | | | | after the winter dormancy has elapsed. So before |
| source of bacterial or fungal infection, and to | | | | rushing in to prune bare leaved trees and shrubs, |
| increase the plants' susceptibility to the cold. So if | | | | find out exactly what you are pruning! |
| your still basking in the glow of the autumn sun - | | | | |