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Pruning guide · Broadleaf tree
Rowan: when and how to prune
Sorbus aucuparia
A rowan needs little pruning: give it a little shaping during winter dormancy (November–March), and remove suckers at the base and water shoots on the trunk; dead and broken branches can go at any time of year.
The rowan, or mountain ash, is a graceful native tree of 5–15 m with white flower heads in May and orange-red berries from August, one of the best small trees for birds. With a crown of about 6 m, it also fits in a small garden. It naturally grows into a fine, open shape and needs little pruning. Heavy pruning even makes things worse: it produces a thicket of water shoots, and fewer flowers and berries.
| Pruning months | November–March |
|---|---|
| Nesting season (15 March–15 August) | Take care in March |
| Flowering | May |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees and birds |
| Native to Belgium | Yes |
Rowan: when to prune it?
Do a little formative pruning during winter dormancy, November–March, ideally before mid-March.
Dead, diseased and broken branches can be cut out all year round.
Don’t prune in late summer and autumn while there are berries: they are for the birds.
What else to prune in those months? January · February · March · November · December
Rowan: how to prune it?
- Shape a young tree with a single leading stem, or let it grow multi-stemmed if you like the look of that.
- Remove branches that make the crown too dense, grow inwards or cross each other.
- Remove suckers at the base and water shoots on the trunk as soon as you see them.
- Saw off a larger branch just outside the branch collar, in three steps, so the bark doesn’t tear.
- Disinfect your secateurs when cutting out diseased branches: rowan can get fireblight. In Belgium, report any suspicion to the FASFC (AFSCA).
How much to cut, and how often?
- Little: a mature tree often needs nothing for years, apart from dead wood and suckers.
- A young tree: a little formative pruning each year, until it has a good trunk and crown. Never remove more than a quarter of the crown in one year.
What does it mean for wildlife?
- Prune in winter, before the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Blackbirds, song thrushes and chaffinches like to nest in the crown.
- The white flower heads in May feed bees, hoverflies and beetles.
- From August, thrushes, blackbirds, starlings and robins come for the berries, and in winter sometimes fieldfares and waxwings. So leave the berries on the tree.
- The caterpillars of dozens of moth and butterfly species live on the leaves, food for young birds. An old rowan with hollows is a home for tits and woodpeckers.
Common mistakes
- Pruning a rowan hard every year, so it produces a thicket of water shoots, and fewer flowers and berries.
- Pruning in autumn and cutting off the berries meant for the birds.
- Sawing a branch off flush with the trunk, so the wound doesn’t close properly.
- Carrying on pruning with contaminated secateurs after a diseased branch.
Caution: Disinfect your secateurs when cutting out diseased branches: rowan can get fireblight.
Nearby: related pruning guides
Similar to: Difference from ash · Difference from manna ash