Before pruning Photo: Tish Berge
After hard pruning Photo: Tish Berge
By Tish Berge, CNPS Garden Ambassador
Many native plant gardeners are attracted to the low maintenance of native plants, or at least I was. While low maintenance is definitely an advantage of native plants, there are several types of natives that benefit from pruning. By pruning, we encourage growth, especially of flowers, which translates to nectar, seeds, and berries—all things that your local critters need for survival. More of these means a richer, more robust habitat in your garden.
As our gardens start to take advantage of the little bit of rain we got recently, we can see growth in many of our plants. Depending on your plant makeup, you may also be noticing that some plants are slowing down and ending their bloom cycle.
Every plant has a different rhythm with regard to when it experiences growth. In California, we are blessed with plant diversity and generally milder seasons compared to the rest of the country. This diversity is wonderful and beautiful. As a gardener, though, you may find some decisions more confusing, such as if and when to prune a plant. This article covers pruning for deciduous, woody, and flowering or fast-growing plants during this time of year.
Deciduous Prune plants that have dropped their leaves or that benefit from a hard pruning. Plants likely to have dropped their leaves this time of year include California Wild gRape (Vitis californica), Snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.), Rose (Rosa spp.), Elderberry (Sambucus spp.), and Redbud (Cercis spp.) (list courtesy of California Native Gardening: A Month-by-Month Guide by Helen Popper). Also, deciduous oaks can be added to this list.
Woody At this time, do not prune woody chaparral plants, suchas ceanothus, manzanita, or evergreen oaks. I don’t like to touch these plants at all, but if yours need shaping, save that for summer.
Flowering and Fast Growing Some plants benefit from a hard pruning or shearing and will reward you and your habitat with robust growth afterwards. Examples include California Fuchsia (Epilobium spp.), Matilija Poppy (Romneya coulteri), and Poverty Weed (Iva spp.). My California Fuchsia has provided the hummingbirds with nectar for months now and is reaching the end of its flowering phase. As a side benefit, I’ve been raking the spent flowers that drop on the ground onto the mulch.
Above right is a photo of the California Fuchsia before the hard pruning. I purchased these plants at the CNPS plant sale, and they are located in very well-draining soil in this raised bed garden. They do receive supplemental water here as well, which simply makes them more prolific. They have seeded volunteers throughout the garden, and those volunteers have remained small or have died out due to lack of water. In November 2019, I did a hard pruning of this plant, so you are looking at just over 13 months of growth in this before photo.
In early January 2021, I did a hard pruning of my California Fuchsia again, as shown in the above right photo. With this hard pruning, the remaining plants are just inches high, and now you can clearly see the garden obelisk that helped provide a structure for the fuchsia to gain more height. Given the location of the garden path, I did not use the chop-and-drop method for the cuttings, but did distribute some of the leaf and flower litter to other parts of the garden. While I was a little sad seeing my resident hummingbird show up with just a few flowers left, I look forward to the fuchsia coming back again even stronger and providing valuable nectar for the birds.
Tish Berge has been a CNPS member since the early 2000’s when she got her very first native plant, a Catalina Cherry. She likes natives because they are drought tolerant and attract wildlife. She recommends workshops, tours, and patience to new gardeners.