Fall Pruning

While raking the first of the fall leaves, I noticed that my row of Euonymus shrubs were a little messy.  They had a growth spurt back in August, but I was busy doing other things and never got around to pruning them.  So, I got out my pruners and spent a couple of hours cutting back the new growth.  The Euonymus looked nice and tidy and I was very pleased with my work.

A few days later I received an email newsletter from Horticulture Magazine with the subject “Fall Pruning: Do or Don’t?”.  Unfortunately for me, the answer to that burning question is DON'T.
 
Oops!

In a panic I did a Google search hoping to find an expert that would support the idea of fall pruning and get me off the hook.  No such luck. All of the reputable sources agree that pruning encourages new growth which is not something you should do in the fall when the plant is trying to go dormant.

Drats!

Oh well. I guess I’ll just have to hope that my untimely pruning won’t cause my beautiful Euonymus any serious damage.

To read more about fall pruning check out this Rodale article.