Autumn makes people want to tidy up their gardens. I get it — summer growth has left things looking shaggy, and there’s something satisfying about getting out there with the secateurs before winter. But pruning at the wrong time or in the wrong way can set plants back significantly.

I’ve made enough pruning mistakes over the years to know what works and what doesn’t in Melbourne conditions. Here’s my practical guide to what you should be pruning now, what you should leave until winter or spring, and how to avoid the most common errors.

What to Prune Now (March-April)

Summer-Flowering Shrubs

Plants that flowered on this season’s new growth can be tidied up now. This includes:

Crepe myrtles: Remove spent flower heads and any crossing branches. Don’t do the severe “crepe murder” hack that some people do — cutting them back to thick stumps every year weakens the tree over time and produces ugly regrowth. Light shaping is all they need.

Buddleja (butterfly bush): Can be cut back hard — they’re tough. Remove about two-thirds of this year’s growth. They’ll bounce back vigorously in spring.

Abelia: Light shaping works well now. Remove any dead or straggly growth and shape to size.

Lavender: Trim spent flower stems and give a light shape. Don’t cut into old woody growth — lavender doesn’t regenerate well from bare wood. Cut to just above where you can see green foliage.

Hedges

Give formal hedges a final trim for the season. Growth is slowing now, so a tidy-up in late March or April should hold through winter without needing another cut until spring.

The Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne has excellent seasonal guides for local plants if you want to check timing for specific species.

Dead, Damaged, or Diseased Wood

This can be removed any time, anywhere, on any plant. Don’t wait for the “right season” to remove dead branches or diseased growth. Cut it off, clean your tools with methylated spirits between plants (especially if dealing with disease), and dispose of diseased material in general waste — not compost.

Perennials Past Their Peak

Cut back perennials that have finished flowering and are looking tired. Salvia, echinacea, and ornamental grasses can be cut back to near ground level. They’ll sit dormant through winter and reshoot in spring.

Leave the foliage on plants that are still green and photosynthesising — they’re building root reserves for next season.

What NOT to Prune Now

This is the more important list, because badly timed pruning causes far more damage than not pruning at all.

Spring-Flowering Shrubs

Do not prune: camellias (about to bud or already budding), azaleas, rhododendrons, wisteria, lilac, or any other plant that flowers in late winter or spring.

These plants set their flower buds in autumn. If you prune now, you’re cutting off next season’s flowers. Wait until immediately after they finish flowering in spring to prune them.

I learned this the hard way with a camellia I pruned in April. Zero flowers the following winter. The plant was fine, but it was a boring season of just leaves.

Frost-Tender Plants

If a plant is marginally hardy in your area, don’t prune it in autumn. The existing foliage provides some frost protection to the inner branches. Pruning exposes tender new growth to cold damage.

Wait until the frost risk has passed in spring, then prune.

Natives That Haven’t Finished Flowering

Many Australian natives (grevilleas, banksias, callistemon) flower through autumn and into winter. Don’t prune them until they’ve finished flowering. Aside from losing flowers, you’re removing food sources for birds and pollinators that depend on autumn and winter blooms.

Fruit Trees (Most of Them)

Stone fruit (peach, plum, cherry) and pome fruit (apple, pear) are best pruned in winter when fully dormant. Pruning now while leaves are still attached and sap is flowing invites fungal infections through the wounds and stimulates late growth that won’t harden off before winter.

Exception: you can remove broken branches or suckers from the base at any time.

Pruning Technique Basics

Sharp tools. Dull secateurs crush stems instead of cutting cleanly. Crushed tissue takes longer to heal and is more susceptible to infection. Sharpen your secateurs at the start of each season. A basic sharpening stone costs $10 from Bunnings.

Clean cuts. Cut at a 45-degree angle, about 5mm above an outward-facing bud or node. The angle sheds water away from the bud. Cutting too close damages the bud. Cutting too far above leaves a stub that dies back and can harbour disease.

Remove the right things. Priority order for removal:

1. Dead, damaged, or diseased wood
2. Crossing or rubbing branches
3. Inward-growing branches (these clutter the centre and reduce airflow)
4. Weak or spindly growth
5. Shaping for size and form

Don’t remove more than one-third. As a general rule, don’t remove more than a third of a plant’s total growth in one pruning session. Removing too much stresses the plant and triggers excessive compensatory growth that’s weak and leggy.

Tools You Actually Need

You don’t need a shed full of expensive tools for most garden pruning.

Bypass secateurs: For stems up to about 20mm. Bypass (scissor-action) are better than anvil type for live wood. A decent pair costs $30-50 — Felco and ARS are worth the money, but Fiskars make good budget options.

Loppers: For stems 20-40mm. Basically long-handled secateurs for extra reach and leverage. $40-60 for a good pair.

Pruning saw: For anything thicker than 40mm. A folding pruning saw is handy and stores safely. $25-40.

Hedge shears: For formal hedges and mass trimming of small-leaved plants. Can be manual or powered depending on hedge size. Manual shears work fine for most home gardens.

That’s it. Four tools cover 95% of home garden pruning.

Common Autumn Pruning Mistakes

Pruning roses now. Roses in Melbourne should be pruned in June-July, not autumn. Pruning now stimulates soft new growth that gets damaged by winter cold. Wait.

Topping trees. Cutting the top off a tree (lopping) is almost never appropriate. It damages the tree’s structure, creates weak regrowth, and looks terrible. If a tree is too large, consult an arborist. Proper reduction pruning by a qualified professional achieves size reduction without the damage of topping.

Pruning into old wood on plants that don’t regenerate. Lavender, rosemary, and some other Mediterranean plants don’t shoot from old bare wood. If you cut below the green foliage line, that branch is dead. Only prune into growth that has visible green leaves or buds.

Shearing everything into balls. Not every plant needs to be a sphere. Many plants look and grow better with selective hand-pruning that follows their natural form. Shearing creates a dense outer shell with dead interior — and it’s more work long-term because the dense growth needs frequent trimming.

My Autumn Pruning Checklist

Here’s what I’m doing in my Melbourne garden this month:

• Trimming spent perennial flowers and cutting back finished summer plants
• Light shaping of hedges (one final trim before winter)
• Removing dead and damaged branches wherever I see them
• Cutting back overgrown buddleja and abelia
• Cleaning and sharpening tools for winter dormant-season pruning
• Making a list of what needs winter pruning (roses, fruit trees, deciduous shrubs)

That’s about it. Restraint is the skill most gardeners need to develop with pruning. When in doubt, don’t cut it. You can always prune later. You can’t glue a branch back on.

Enjoy the cooler weather. It’s the best time of year to actually enjoy being in the garden — the work is lighter, the air is pleasant, and there’s less urgency than spring’s frantic growing season.