Some important pruning tips for dry climate gardeners

Spring has arrived in the Northern hemisphere, Summer is coming to a close in the South. For Mediterranean climate gardeners, whether in South –West Australia or the Middle East, some pruning work should be carried out.
Let's talk about spring first.

In mild winter climates, this is about the last opportunity (if spring has yet to start) to prune naturally deciduous trees and shrubs, including roses, i.e. plants that are not cold sensitive.

A common and sometimes costly error is to mistake a conditionally deciduous plant, i.e. a plant that sheds its foliage in response to local climate conditions, with a naturally deciduous one. The former are usually of tropical or sub tropical origin, and are liable to be highly sensitive to cold - even the cold prevailing in mild winter countries.

A very important rule is never to prune a cold sensitive plant until the possibility of night chills, not to speak of frosts, has passed. Wait till the weather has sufficiently warmed up.

In South Africa or Australia, where autumn is approaching, this might well be the last chance to prune cold sensitive plants before the temperatures drop significantly.
I'm thinking particularly of those herbaceous plants like ornamental grasses, that look pretty poor in the winter, especially if left untouched, but might be damaged by winter pruning. With the purple coloured Pennisetum setaceum for instance, it's often worth cutting it to the ground a month or two before the onset of winter, and again in the spring if needs be.

Jonathan Ya'akobi
Jonathan@dryclimategardening.com