When to prune trees in Lexington (oaks, maples, and the ones people butcher)
Oak wilt rules in the Ohio Valley matter. Hydrangea timing depends on old wood versus new wood. Here is a practical calendar instead of a generic 'late winter' paragraph.
"Prune while dormant" is fine advice until you cut an oak in April and invite problems you cannot walk back. Lexington is close enough to oak wilt territory that we follow conservative timing on red oak group species. If you are not sure which oak you have, we identify before we cut.
Oaks in our area
For red oak types, we avoid pruning during spring beetle flight when wounds are most likely to pick up disease. That means active growth windows are out. If you need deadwood removed for safety, we document the risk and sometimes treat the wound site per current guidance rather than ignore it.
White oak group timing is somewhat more forgiving, but we still prefer dormant-season structural pruning when we can.
Maples and elms
Sap runs loud in late winter. That does not hurt the tree, though it annoys people who park cars under the canopy. Structural pruning on maples is fine in late winter before bud break. Cleaning up storm damage is a separate conversation: broken hangers get addressed when we can reach them safely.
Hydrangeas: the old wood trap
If your bigleaf hydrangea never flowers after a hard prune, you probably cut off last year's buds. We label varieties on plans so crews do not treat every shrub the same. Panicle hydrangeas on new wood get a different pass than mopheads.
Crepe myrtle: please stop topping
You knew this was coming. Topping does not increase bloom. It weakens structure and looks the same every year after someone "fixes" it again.
Hire a lift when the ladder is lying to you
Anything you cannot reach with feet in the bucket of an articulating lift is probably not a homeowner Saturday project. Power lines, roof valleys, and rotted union points kill people who guessed wrong.
Our tree service page lists what we prune in-house versus what we bring an arborist partner in for. We are honest about limits.
A simple homeowner rule
If you do not know why you are making a cut, do not make it. Thinning for light and air has a goal. "Shaping" without a goal is how flat-tops happen.
If you want a walkthrough on your property in Versailles or Winchester, send tree names if you know them, or photos of leaves and bark. We schedule pruning visits in batches by neighborhood to cut drive time.
Need help with your lawn or landscape in Central Kentucky? Lexington Landscaping Co. serves Lexington, Nicholasville, Georgetown, Versailles, and Winchester.
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