Monthly Tip

If your landscape includes California native plants, you may wonder if you should prune them. It depends. Some don’t respond well to shaping or shearing to control size. But they do like careful pruning at the proper time, which is when they are dormant. That could be either summer or mid-winter. Natives that do well with winter trimming include California buckeye (Aesculus californica), honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula), and salvia species. California fuchsia (Epilobium canum) and lilac verbena (Verbena lilacina) can be cut almost to the ground. But wait until summer for grasses and broadleaf evergreen shrubs and trees.

More information: How to Prune California Native Plants