11 Plants To Prune In October For A Healthier, More Productive Garden Come Spring

S.O.E/Shutterstock Add Hunker on Google: Preferred Source Google Discover October, being the season for changing leaves and first frosts, may not seem like the time to be thinking about the spring garden. However, October proves to be a great time of the year to get some pruning done before the harshness of winter sets in. While many plants in your garden won’t benefit from a fall pruning, there are others that require it in order to be healthier and more productive come spring.

All shrubs, trees, or flowers have their own preferred time for pruning. In October, pruning irises will help prevent overwintering pests, whereas cutting peonies back to ground level will help prevent disease from taking hold in the foliage. Pruning in October also gives you the chance to clean up broken branches, improve airflow, and address any plants you might have missed pruning in September, such as herbs like lavender, certain hydrangeas, and even fruit trees.

Before you start, make sure you have the right tools for the job. Sharp shears are necessary to perform the clean cuts that will help the plants recover faster. Sturdy, puncture-resistant gloves will also help protect your hands from any thorns, and a bag or tarp will keep your clippings tidy. It’s also important to know when your average first frost is. For USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 7, this can occur sometime during October. Keep an eye out, because many of the plants on this list actually need pruning after that first frost.

RomanR/Shutterstock Autumn care for roses (Rosa spp.) is all about getting them in shape for winter so that they can grow strong again in the spring. Repeat bloomers, such as hybrid tea roses and Knock Out roses, that bloom again in the fall can be cut back by as much as a third. Prioritize branches that show signs of damage or disease, and any weaker stems that could be damaged by wind or snow. Also check for any common rose issues like black spot or mildew and remove affected leaves so the problem doesn’t worsen.

Birute/Getty Images Peonies (Paeonia spp.) are the first of many herbaceous perennials that you will see on this list. Unlike some flowers, peonies provide no real visual interest over the winter. On the other hand, fall and winter are the perfect time for fungal diseases to develop and spread among the dead foliage. The thing is, you need to wait until the first frost of the year to prune, as this will help the plant transfer its energy to root production. After the frost, cut the plant back to no more than 3 inches above the ground. They should burst forth even stronger come spring.

Billy_fam/Getty Images Another herbaceous perennial that benefits from an October haircut, bee balm (Monarda spp.), needs to be pruned as soon as its top growth has died back after the first frost. Not only does this provide room for new growth in the spring, but it can help control fungal issues and aggressive spreading, both of which bee balm is guilty of. You can prune the plants partially or all the way to the ground. If you want to support your native bird population, consider leaving some of the seed heads for them to collect.

CHZU/Shutterstock It is very important to know what kind of hydrangeas you have before you bring shears to the stems in October, as you could accidentally kill certain varieties if you aren’t paying attention. However, if you have smooth (Hydrangea arborescens) or panicle (Hydrangea paniculata) hydrangeas, you’re in the clear. These are new wood hydrangeas, meaning they flower from newly formed stems every year. As such, come October, you can deadhead the flowers and remove damaged or leggy stems without worrying about killing next year’s blooms. Wait to do any aggressive pruning or shaping until late winter or early spring.

Anna Listishenko/Getty Images Now, lavender (Lavandula spp.) is another one of those plants you need to be careful with when it comes to fall pruning. It all comes down to where you live. Lavender is best pruned in October in Zones 8 through 10, where winters are mild or frost is nonexistent. This is because pruning will encourage new growth, which can thrive in mild temps but be damaged in colder zones by frost. Regardless of where you live, never cut back old woody growth in the fall, as it can protect the plant during winter.

Flower_Garden/Shutterstock Like the other herbaceous perennials on this list, hostas (Hosta spp.) are best pruned in the fall. And like peonies, you need to wait to prune your hostas until after the first hard frost of the season. This will kill the leaves and make it easier for you to see and find the stems you need to cut. Removal of the leaves will also prevent pests like slugs from sheltering for the winter. Hostas can be pruned down to the ground to allow for new growth of lush green leaves in the spring.

Nes/Getty Images While it is generally best to skip any major pruning of fruit trees in the fall, there are still reasons you might want to give your fruit trees a second look in October. Whether you have apples (Malus spp.), peaches (Prunus persica), or plums (Prunus domestica), don’t prune them heavily, but do a final check and remove any damaged, dead, or diseased branches. This will help keep any potential fungal diseases from spreading, as well as improve airflow between the branches.

Oksana Akhtanina/Getty Images By the time October rolls around, the foliage and flowers of daylilies (Hemerocallis) are in pretty rough shape. Drooping flower heads, browning leaves, and bent stems are common during this time of year. Doing nothing could lead to fungal diseases spreading throughout the patch or allow pests to make shelter. As such, you should be in the habit of cutting back your daylilies to about 2 inches above the ground in the fall. This will give them room to grow back strong in the spring and prevent any of the aforementioned problems.

Anmbph/Getty Images The iris borer is a notorious pest that feeds on the rhizomes of iris (Iris spp.) flowers and can completely decimate a patch. This is why pruning back irises in October is so critical. Like many pests, iris borer larvae like to shelter in the dead foliage that is left over during the winter. To prevent this, cut the irises down to 5 inches above ground level, making sure to remove any damaged or diseased parts. This will help break the pest cycle by giving the borers no place to shelter over the winter.

DiankaSt/Shutterstock You can definitely prune fruits of the Rubus genus, such as raspberries (Rubus idaeus) and blackberries (Rubus fruticosus), in October — but only if they are the summer-bearing varieties. This means that their fruits ripen in the summer months as opposed to the fall. Pruning these is actually quite simple. Once the plants are dormant, look for the spent canes, which appear woody and dry as opposed to lush and green, and cut them back to the ground. The newer-looking canes are what will produce the fruit next summer.

Mariia Ostashuk/Getty Images A hardy plant that can grow in zones 4 to 8, garden phlox (Phlox paniculata) is another herbaceous perennial that can suffer from fungal issues. It is particularly susceptible to powdery mildew, especially in more humid climates or when it grows too tightly clumped with little air circulation. Once the foliage of garden phlox dies back, prune the plant all the way down to the ground. This will remove any bits of the plant that might be infected, ensuring that next year’s growth will be free of mildew.