Has this been an unusual winter or what! An early cold and wet October followed by a warm November and December tricked a lot of the non-native plants into breaking dormancy in some cases. Then in January we finally got some cold weather and snow, just in time to hold some of our plants back a bit. I suspect that we’ll have an early spring so it’s time to think about late-winter dormant pruning.
When can I start pruning?
In our area we expect to see some low 20 for nighttime lows, so early in February,we can start pruning the cold-hardy plants, such as apples, pears, Northern blueberries, elderberries, and grapes. Later in the month when we can see that sub-freezing temperatures are through for the season we can work with the more cold-sensitive plants. In the Piedmont the timing will be a little earlier. I’d jump on your winter pruning now in the Piedmont. Have your muscadines finished in the piedmont by mid February and in colder climes by the end of February.