As folks enjoy the waning blooms of the season, minds are set on settling in the plants and shrubs for the winter in anticipation of spring's abundance.

So, to prune or not to prune? And if you prune, when and how?

You can ask Russet Morrow of North Attleboro. She should know - not just from her teachings as a master gardener, but through lots of hands-on experience.

Morrow and a group of volunteers have pruned and pruned to reinvigorate the shrubs and plants in the Murray Unitarian Universalist Church Memorial Garden in Attleboro.

It took hundreds of man and women hours, she admitted. But, "it was a labor of love to turn a pretty garden into a sanctuary. "Basically all the shrubs were reworked. There was a lot of cutting back for air circulation."

This year, a paved-stone path was added to increase accessibility for those who may be a little less sure on their feet, Morrow said. A new red-twigged dogwood was also planted.

Each year, they do a little more.

"We're trying to get it to being an easily maintained, sustainable garden," she said.

So, as people survey their own yards, getting plants ready to put to bed for the winter, we asked Morrow and fellow master gardener Claire Golembewski, also of North Attleboro, about when to prune some common shrubs and plants.

Essentially, fall is a time to clean up and get rid of diseased or dead branches on plants and shrubs, they said.

Gardeners and others are frequently afraid to cut or prune, "but it makes a huge difference on how it looks, especially in the winter with all of the leaves off," Morrow said.

Here is their advice on various plants and shrubs you may have in your yard:

Burning bush

"You can prune any burning bush at anytime you want, anywhere," said Morrow. Generally, though, anything that blooms in the spring should be pruned after the blooms have died. Those that bloom in the autumn can be pruned before winter sets in, after those blooms have died off.

Both master gardeners said the primary question that arises when pruning any shrub or plant is, Does it bloom on the old or the new year's wood growth?

Azaleas

A spring-blooming plant, they should typically be trimmed right after their blooms die, said Golembewski. But "if something is really wigging out," it can be pruned at any time of the year. She adds, however, that strenuously pruning a spring-blooming plant in the fall can result in fewer blooms the following spring.

Spirea

In the case of bridal wreath spirea, something Golembewski calls "a rejuvenating pruning" can be done now, before winter sets in.

Old branches are the ones that will go down in a storm and "crack in the wrong places," whichcould damage a shrub.

The old branches can be identified because they look, well, old. Look for bark that's cracked and appears aged.

Never cut back more than a third of the shrub, whether it's spirea or any other plant, Golembewski warned. And there's no need to cut much the first time around. "You don't want to stress it, you want to rejuvenate it."

By tending to the old wood, "you will definitely see a difference in the health of the plant" in the coming years, she said. The same method can be applied to weigela, as well as forsythia and lilac. The older branches can be cut down to ground level and pulled out.

By periodically cutting out old branches, "you will have a new, controllable spirea" over the course of three years, she said. "It will go back to the vase shape it's supposed to have" similar to forsythia or lilacs.

Rhododendrons

"Basically in the fall, what's OK to prune is diseased or broken branches," said Morrow. Though some folks may shudder at the thought of shears, "a rhododendron can be cut back to 2 feet tall and it will flourish," she said.

Hydrangea

First, you need to find out what type you have. Golembewski employs a wait and see attitude.

"I wait until the spring to see what doesn't bloom and cut them back then," she said, even though she has a fall-blooming variety where the dead blooms could be pruned this season. "And I do get lovely, 'mauvey'-colored blooms."

Grape leaf hydrangeas, also in bloom now, can be pruned in the autumn or wait until spring to cut off dead branches.

According to the Web site of the U.S. National Arboretum, removing about one-third of the oldest stems each year will result in a fuller, healthier plant.

When to prune depends on the species. Panicle and smooth hydrangea flower on the current year's growth and can be pruned anytime from late summer until early spring.

Do not shear

"Shearing is what you would do with hedge trimmers to a privet hedge," said Golembewski. "It's forming your shrubs into unnatural or neat shapes."

But if shrubs, like forsythia or others are sheared in this manner, only "tip cuts" are made. Those tips, in turn, spawn two branches, then, maybe four. "What happens is the outside gets solid, but the inside gets no light or air and it dies," she said.

In the case of a bridal wreath spirea, however, both are recommended. Shear and then make pruning cuts, Golembewski advised.

In general, any shrubs that have flowers now can be pruned after the blooms have died because those flowers are on the same wood they will bloom on next year, Golembewski noted.

With any shrub or plant, prune dead or injured branches at any time. In addition, if you have a plant or bush that does not look like it will bear the weight of snow, it can be pruned now. Otherwise, the weight could cause the branches to "crack in a bad place," damaging it, Golembewski said.

SUSAN LaHOUD can be reached at 508-236-0398 or at slahoud@thesunchronicle.com.