Fruit trees: prune to shape and size, and to allow sunlight into the center.

Roses: for now, prune only the broken, the ugly or the whips that keep catching you every time you walk by. Prune all the rosehips you need for arrangements. But try not to bring the majority of canes down passed halfway. That keeps them from whipping around during the wind storms, but provides some security against severe winter cold dieback that might still lie ahead. Finish prune in spring just as new growth appears.

Hydrangeas: it’s ok to take the big dried blooms for arrangements but keep in mind that next season’s flower buds are already formed along the stems and the more of the structure you remove, the fewer blooms you’ll have. But in gardening, there are 13 ways and 26 schools of thought on almost any subject. If you want to take down all the stems to 18 inches from the ground to neaten up the bed, don’t fret too much. By mid summer, you’ll have plenty of flowers on your hydrangeas.