Maintaining Wild Tip
by Besa Schweitzer, chapter member
This is your last chance to prune dormant trees.
November 15 to March 15 is the best time to prune most trees and shrubs.
Trees and shrubs should be pruned before the buds start to swell and the leaves come out.
Prune out any crossing and rubbing branches.
Branches that are growing at strange angles or competing with each other can be removed.
Look at a tree from many angles before deciding which branch to cut.
Never cut off the top of a tree or cut out more than 1/3 of the tree because this weakens the tree.
About our new Maintaining Wild series:
To help you keep up with your native garden care in 2026 we’re posting a maintenance tip each week on our website and on Facebook. These tips will include native garden specific tasks as well as some basic gardening advice.
A new tip will appear weekly on Facebook, on Friday at 1 pm.
To join the discussion, comment on our Facebook page.
Stay tuned for a new garden maintenance tip each week to help get you out into the garden and make 2026 a year for Maintaining Wild. Let’s have a discussion and share our knowledge!
View all tips on a single page: https://stlwildones.org/maintaining-wild-tips/
