Which plants, trees, etc usually need pruning back before Sring?
Butterfly bushes, vitex and crape myrtles can be cut way back each year, almost to the ground. I usually leave them a foot tall. They will bloom on new wood each year. Crape myrtles may be cut back or not, depending on your preference. If you like them tall, leave them, if you want to control the height, cut them back. Cut back any wood that has been killed by the winter. They are root hardy to zone 5 but may not be top hardy. Hydrangeas that are pink or blue should never be cut back except to take out dead wood: they bloom on old wood, that is wood that has grown the previous season. If you need to cut them back, do it right after they finish blooming. White hydranges like Annabelle can be cut to the ground each year, or not. They will be huge and beautiful if you don’t about 3 feet if you do. Other white hydrangeas have different requirements, find out what yours is and google it for correct pruning advice. I never cut back my oak leaf hydrangea except to take off the old flower head
