December is the start of winter, with days at their shortest, but conversely not at their coldest – an accolade reserved for the month of February in the UK. However, those short days have a huge impact on plant growth, which is affected by temperature, day length and light levels. So pruning around now is appropriate for plants that need to be tackled at their most dormant. This applies to lots of productive plants like apples, which need their fruiting growth encouraged, as well as many deciduous plants like grapevines that can bleed if pruned in the new year.

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Plants grown for their colourful winter stems, such as cornus and ornamental rubus, or those bearing attractive berries, such as cotoneaster, are usually pruned toward the end of winter. Start planning to tackle these soon, especially if you have a lot of pruning to get through, but don’t panic – you have a few weeks left for this. Now is also a great time to work on espaliers, when you can see their shapes unimpeded by foliage, bringing them back to a lovely framework.

More winter pruning advice:

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