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Ask the Chuckster...
Winter planting and pruning, plants for forest transition areas

Can I still plant in the winter?

Yes, you can plant in the winter – especially trees and shrubs. While plants are dormant they are still growing roots as long as the soil isn’t frozen. Planting them in fall or winter gives plants an early jump on things and come spring they’ll be past transplant shock, won’t need to be watered as much, and ready to get down to the business of growing.

Be careful if the ground is saturated with water. You’ll want to be extra careful to break up dirt clods and mix in some ground pine bark soil conditioner. Be sure to plant high if you’re working with a heavy clay soil.

What about pruning?

It’s still a little early for pruning here in the mountains – we want to wait until after the last of the hard freezes. The problem is that if you prune and then there's a really cold freeze, you could have more die back and need to prune again – pruning off more wood than you really wanted.

Around here I like to prune in late February, depending on how the season is going. On trees and shrubs I would only do very light corrective pruning in late winter as you’re removing potential fruit bearing wood. 

Late February or early March is THE most critical time to prune grapes, blackberries, and raspberries.  More on this later.  Never prune Cornelian cherries in the winter because the wounds won’t heal and they will bleed when the sap rises.  Wait till early summer to prune them.

Is it different in the Piedmont or mountains?

In the Piedmont your dates will be earlier. Depending on the season, mid-late January could be the best time for pruning. You can refer to our videos for pruning bushes and trees.

Our nursery is located in the mountains at about 2,500 feet. If you live at a higher elevation or in a colder micro-climate, you might need to prune later. Just look for that time after the hard freezes (temps below 20 degrees F) are over and before the sap starts to rise.

My site is next to a forest and I’d like to use native plants in the transition area. Are there any of the Useful Plants natives that would be suitable for edge planting?

Yes, we have some great native plants. They all need at least 6 hours of sun for full fruit production, and some will need more. We have a web page that lists Useful Plants that are native to the Carolinas and Georgia, along with some others native to the Southeast or US. I especially like elderberries, persimmons, serviceberries, hazelnuts, aronias, black haw viburnums, black raspberries, and groundnuts in these transition zones.