What’s best is that any damage that occurs during the winter is likely to be completely healed by springtime. This means that your yard can look stunning virtually year round. Even if this isn’t the case in your situation, you can rest happy knowing that your yard will at least look perfect by springtime—and really, that’s all that matters. 8. There’s Literally No Better Time to Prune Another reason that you will want to prune your trees in the winter is that there’s literally no better time to do it. Many people believe that fall is the perfect time, but this is a bad misconception. Remember: just because your trees are beginning to drop their leaves doesn’t mean they are ready to be pruned. It can be tempting, we know, to go out with your shears and get to work, but you have to remember that trees aren’t always dormant just because they look so. Rather, trees in the fall are still highly active. It’s not until midwinter that your trees will experience strong dormancy, so you will want to wait until then to get your work done. Pruning your trees in the fall can lead to severe consequences. For one, you will be pruning a tree that is still in its growing stage. This is not a good idea with winter just around the corner. It’s not healthy for your trees to experience sudden growth and stoppage; instead, you want to make sure that you give your trees the time they need to develop properly. Additionally, the insides of your trees will be very much active—at least in the day time. Sap within your trees will rise on the inside during the day, especially if it’s hot outside. When it gets colder at night, however, the process will reverse, damaging your trees and hindering their proper growth. Furthermore, while spring pruning is great for many plants, you want to make sure that your trees are in full bloom during the springtime (or the time when they will likely look the best). You don’t want them pruned and bare looking. Extensive pruning during the spring or summer months only minimizes the amount of time you have to show off your yard. Pruning in the winter, however, maximizes the time you can flaunt your trees and your lawn. 9. You Can Prevent Excessive Pruning When plants are in full bloom, it can be hard to get a full picture of what needs to be done to them. As such, it’s easier to get carried away with excessive pruning. This is especially true if your trees are severely overgrown. Oftentimes you may think that your trees need a serious pruning, but it could just be that you were tired of seeing them overgrown. This could lead to you cutting too much of your trees, causing them to look strange and unappealing. Sure, everything you cut will grow back, but you want to make sure that it grows back in time for its prime. Only by cutting in the winter can you actually make sure of what you are doing (unless, of course, you are an expert, and if that’s the case, you likely don’t need this article). You will be able to see what branches go where and what really needs to be cut for optimal growth and beauty. One of the main issues that serious landscapers have with amateurs is that they simply prune too much. Almost like a trend, beginner pruners seem to think that less is always more. And while that may be true in some disciplines, it’s not always the case in landscaping. For these reasons, you will want to make sure that you are pruning your trees in the winter. Doing so can help maximize the beauty of your yard and give you results you will love.