Winter is a great time to catch up on pruning for two reasons:
1. Because deciduous and semi deciduous plants have less leaves on them and you can see what you are cutting more easily. 
2. Because there is less to do in the garden, you have more time to prune.


WHY PRUNE?
There are good reasons for pruning:

• To encourage healthier, more vigorous growth (for some plants, this extends the plant’s life span)
• To stimulate or sustain flowers or fruit
• To regulate flowering or fruiting (eg. promote fewer large fruits, rather than lots of small fruits)
• To improve, maintain or change the shape of the plant
• To maintain a bushy habit
• To stimulate new growth
• To thin out branches and foliage that are crossed and tangled
• To remove old, dead or diseased branches
• To remove unwanted growth (eg. growing over a path, obstructing power lines, buildings, making the plant look ugly, etc)
• To limit the size of a plant
  
  
  

BEFORE PRUNING
Prior to pruning, look closely at the tree or shrub and try to understand how it grows. What parts of the tree produce flowers & fruit?  Do you want small fruit or larger but less fruit?  Are there any tangled, dead or diseased branches? Has it become misshapen because of shade from nearby trees?

Then ask yourself how you want the tree or shrub to look in the future.  What shape do you want to achieve?  Is the plant growing too large or ‘leggy’? Is it growing too close to other plants, powerlines or nearby buildings?  Are you growing it for flowers or fruit.  Do you even have to prune at all?

HOW TO PRUNE
How you prune will depend to some extent upon the individual plant and why you are pruning it.  Nevertheless, there are some rules that apply to all pruning jobs.  

• Keep pruning tools sharp and clean (preferably sterilise them between uses)
• Use the right tools for the job.  Only use secateurs for stems up to 2cm in diameter.  For larger branches use branch loppers or a pruning saw.  
• Always prune back to a branch or a node.  
• Cut on an angle away from the node or bud so that water can drain off.
• Smooth, clean cuts are best to avoid disease.
• Always be conservative when you prune.  If you are not sure, don’t make the cut.  You can always decide to make the cut later, but you can’t stick a branch back after you have pruned it.  
• Never overextend yourself when making a pruning cut.  Use a ladder, a pruning tool with an extendable handle, or hire an expert for the job.  
• If using a ladder, make sure it is well-balanced and don’t stand on the top two rungs while you are pruning.  
• Always remember to step back while you are pruning and have a look at what you have done so far.  It is easy to get carried away once you get started, so take the time to check your work.  
• Clear away prunings from the area.  Dead branches such as these can harbour diseases that may be transferred to the healthy plant.  
  
  
  

• PRUNING TOOLS
  There are a number of different types of pruning tools available.  Many have extendable handles.  
  
  Secateurs
  Secateurs are essential for pruning small branches and removing dead flowers. 
  
  Hedge shears
  Manual shears are great for small hedges and topiary.  Electric shears can save a lot of work when you have to prune a large hedge.  
  
  Loppers
  These are like secateurs, but can be used for cutting larger stems.  Their long handles make it easy to get to hard to reach branches.  
  
  Pruning saws
  Pruning saws are also used to cut small branches.  They have a curved blade that only cuts on the pull stroke.   
  
  Bow saws
  These are larger saws with a course cutting blade that is ideal for branches more than 5cm in diameter.  
  
  Chain saws
  Chainsaws are great for quickly and easily pruning large branches and tree trunks.  They should never be held above head height or used when standing on a ladder.
  
  
  SELECTING YOUR SECATEURS
  There are many types of secateurs available, and in most cases you get what you pay for.  The cheap special at the local hardware may be OK or two jobs, but if you are want something that is going to last, be prepared to pay a bit more.  There are three main types of secateurs:
  
  -By-pass secateurs 
  By-pass secateurs use a scissor-type action and have a sharp upper blade which cuts against a sharp lower blade to make a clean, precise cut.
  
  -Anvil secateurs 
  Anvil secateurs have a sharp upper blade that cuts against a lower anvil. These secateurs can crush woody material if they are blunt.
  
  -Parrot-beak secateurs
  These have rounded blades that use a scissor-like action.  Use care with these, as they can be dangerous.
  
  

DOES IT MATTER WHEN YOU PRUNE?

• For most plants it does not.
• Plants that flower in early spring will have flower buds removed by winter pruning (for fruiting trees this can be advantageous …for flowering plants, it can be a disadvantage).
• Pruning when flower buds are just opening is not advised
• Plants are slightly more susceptible to wood rot infections if a wound (pruning cut) is opened up in the month before buds start to burst or shoot in spring
• During winter, avoid cutting plants that are very cold sensitive 
  
  
  

POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN PRUNING:

• The vigour of the plant or the shoot depends on the direction of growth and the amount of leaf surface (amongst other things).
• The more a shoot approaches the vertical position, the stronger it will grow.
• The top or terminal bud of a shoot generally has the greatest amount of growth. The growth potential of the buds will gradually decrease as you come closer to the base of a shoot.
•  The greater the vegetative growth, the lighter the crop, resulting in larger but poorer quality fruit.
•  The fewer the number of buds on a shoot, the stronger will be the growth made by each individual shoot arising from these buds.
•  All fruit should be removed from young trees for the first few years after planting, to allow the leaf & stem growth to better develop.
  
  
  

WHAT IS BUD SWELL?

When buds are nearly ready to burst into leaf or flower, they swell up.  Eventually, the scales that enclose the buds move apart, exposing a little of the petals/flower underneath.  

WHAT IS BUD BURST?
When the swollen bud finally drops the scales and fully opens.


THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FRUIT BUD AND VEGETATIVE BUD
When you are pruning, look at the size of the buds to see if you are cutting back to a fruit bud or a vegetative (leaf) bud.  The larger, plump buds are flower/fruit buds.  Narrower buds are vegetative.  The frequency of flower buds will give an indication of the amount of fruit the tree is likely to bear.  

On some types of trees, one bud can produce several fruit; on others one bud will only produce one fruit. You will notice that fruit buds are borne on particular parts of the branch, depending upon the type of tree. For example, peaches bear fruit on one-year-old lateral shoots, whereas apples bear fruit on the tips of one-year-old lateral shoots as well as in small compact bud clusters called "spur systems". 

You should prune in a way that will encourage the development of the type of growth that will produce fruit for future years, but at the same time leave sufficient fruit buds to allow a reasonable crop for the coming season.


WHAT NOT TO PRUNE IN WINTER
Some plants should not be pruned during the colder months.  If you cut a tender evergreen plant like Fuchsia in winter, you will be encouraging new growth: particularly if there is a warm spell.  If the weather then turns cold, you will be left with tender young foliage that is exposed to the cold.  If you do not cut the plants, you will have been left with an outer layer of harder older foliage that is better able to withstand cold and frost.

Another reason not to prune in winter is when plants are grown for their spring flowers.  Examples of these types of plant include: 
Cydonia japonica (Flowering Quince)
Prunus blireana (or any other flowering Prunus)


HOW TO PRUNE A ROSE
Almost everyone loves the look and smell of roses.  If you want the best from your rose plants, you will have to prune.  

Annual winter pruning is essential to rejuvenate the plant and encourage the growth of young wood.  Rose blooms are formed on these young shoots, so the more young shoots, the more flowers you will have.  In temperate climates, at least half of the top growth is removed each winter.  In snow-prone areas cut plants back very hard (up to 95%) and cover with straw over the winter. 

In districts where growth does not cease (eg. tropics), a harsh annual pruning is not necessary as this removes many blooms. In such districts regular light pruning is generally carried out - occasionally an annual prune is used to rejuvenate an old overgrown rose.

Some people say that all you need to prune a rose is a chainsaw!  Certainly most roses are hardy enough to recover from this sort of treatment, but if you want the best possible display, you will need to be more careful with where you make your pruning cuts.  

Start pruning your rose by removing any dead, diseased, or spindly growth.  Then remove any branches that are crossing over one another.  Next, take out the branches that are crossing the centre of the plant.  This will aid air movement through the plant and discourage pests and diseases.  Finally, cut back the remaining stems to an outwardly facing bud.  


HOW TO PRUNE A PEACH TREE
Peach trees need to be pruned to a funnel shape.  This means you remove any new shoots growing into the middle of the tree structure and encourage branches that radiate outwards in the funnel cone.  Then remove any dead or spindly branches that cross over each other.  Keep the structure of the tree strong to allow it to hold plenty of fruit without sagging or breaking.


HOW TO PRUNE RASPBERRIES
During winter remove old canes to promote new growth.  Additional pruning is required at other times of the year, depending upon whether they are the summer fruiting or autumn fruiting variety.   


HOW TO PRUNE A HYDRANGEA
Hydrangea stems that produced flowers in the previous year should be pruned to the second lowest pair of buds. As the plant matures, you should prune out woody older stems, dead branches, and any stems that cross or are broken.


HOW TO PRUNE A CREPE MYRTLE
Prune to shape the trunk and promote next season’s flowers. They flower in summer or autumn on young growth so pruning in winter encourages more growth tips in spring; hence more flowering after that.


HOW TO PRUNE ESPALIERS
Espalier is the art of training trees to branch in formal patterns usually along a wall, or on a trellis.  Espaliers are a great way to grow fruit trees and other trees and shrubs in a small space.  They require pruning to train them into the required shape, and to promote flowers or fruit.  


HOW TO PRUNE GRAPEVINES
Pruning will depend on whether they are ornamental or fruiting varieties and upon what sort of support they are being trained onto. 
Ornamental varieties should be pruned to encourage them to grow up a pergola or other support. Remove any vines that are growing upwards or outwards from the support.  
Fruiting varieties are usually grown on wires strung between supporting posts.  Train the vines along these wires and cut back any lateral shoots during winter.