Planting in late winter/early spring : to prune or not to prune?

A quick question....

At the weekend hubby and I succumbed to the temptation of some rootballed plants. (We suspect that they were taken off the shop floor at end of Oct for Halloween and they forgot to put them back out again!)

When planting them out (as soon as possible), would you prune them or not?

Cornus alba elegantissima / Deutzia / red currant
Do I prune for time of year, take back stems to halfway (about 1 metre long), take half of stems to base?

The two plum trees have very long side stems, up to 2 metres long (not the easiest thing to steer through a crowded supermarket on a Saturday!). Again, would these benefit from being pruned back, to ease the strain on the relatively small rootball?

Sorry for the rather obvious questions. I've bought bare rooted, and container grown, and even grown my own shrubs and fruit bushes from cuttings, but this rootball malarkey is new to me!

 

Well, I couldn't face any more Dutch revision for my exam tomorrow, so went out to plant the three shrubs.
For want of suggestions, I planted in as big a hole as I could make (surprised to find out how cold the soil still is, but can't be worse than plants in garage just waiting for root-freedom!).
Once I'd untied them, I pruned out any damaged or crossing stems, and to "open" out the centre. Me being, well, me, I then cut the prunings into cutting lengths, and stuck them in some compost. They weren't going to make me free plants just throwing them on the compost heap....

 

Some photos....


The Deutzia


The cornus alba


The red currant

 

Well, that looks pretty good. I think I'd risk leaving them as they are. After all, it's not like the growing season has got under way, is it? Everything is still dormant as hell - sadly.

 

I was going to reiterate what Madahhlia has said, but changed my mind. I think I'd be inclined to prune now about halfway down the stems which would help them to fill out, it quite often encourages root growth to, so that in turn will establish the plant quicker.

 

I would prune dogwood quite severely. It will be as big.....prob much bigger.....this time next year. The Deutzia? Wait until it flowers in spring then remove the flowered stems as low as possible. If it doesnt flower..I think it will....then dont prune.
The flowering current, very similar treatment.....remove flowered stems.
I think pruning early helps make for bushier and healthier plants.
Plus I would feed at pruning time

 

I would cut dogwood quite severely, almost to ground level. The bush will be as big, prob much bigger, this time in autumn.
The Deutzia? Remove all flowered stems in spring
The flowering currant? Again, remove all flowered branches.
Prunimg early makes for bushier and healthier plants.
Feed at pruning time
They all look good quality purchases

 

.....oops, sorry. Thought my initial post failed

 

ah ha!

Well good to know that you think they look good specimins, at least above soil level... (trusty felcos as scale!)

I was wondering about taking the dogwood down to ground level, even if it means we dont see the varigated leaves for a few months...

The red currant is a fruiting one, so I think I'll take the dogwood down to ground level, and the other two one third or half-height after flowering....? The dogwood and deutzia both are on the clay half of the garden, the currant in the sand half, so she's gonna need lots of mulching!

Hopefully I'll get the fruit trees planted later this week. My hands were frozen, after doing these three bushes.... I'm fairly sure that the plums will need to have the whippy branches severely cut. But it might be easier, as with these three, to put them in situ, and then photograph the evidence! I know I will be able to think more clearly then! I'm thinking plums and cherry at top of slope (far from potential frost pocket), and late flowering apple at bottom of slope (where there is a good "spot", and should be safe from late frosts)....

thanks so much for the imput. Its at times like this that I miss being able to chat to Dad.

 

I think the dogwood would rapidly regrow, I cut mine down to about 6" every year. I mainly like it for the winter stems, the foliage is usually a bit of a nuisance.

If you prune the redcurrant low you will get very little fruit this year. This may help the plant to get established, but worth taking into consideration.

Ditto the deutzia which will flower in late May - so you could hang on for those then prune hard afterwards.

 

Sorry, thought you had Ribes sanguineum, flowering currant. I would not prune red currant until it fruits.
The dogwood is nice set against cotinus royal purple from mid summer, I think.
Deutzias respond brilliantly to correct pruning. Mine flowers well above emerging foliage in long sprays. My neighbour stubbornly cuts his as a form of topiary with flat top...it's flowers are hidden in foliage and just looks awful.