“There is a tendency to spruce things up, but if we do that too quickly, we can predispose the plants to more freeze damage,” he said. First, it removes dead plant material that can help insulate living tissue from future freezes. Dead tissue will be apparent when the plant breaks dormancy in the spring, and waiting will ensure plants with live tissue recover and that pruning is not detrimental to the plant’s long-term recovery. “That dead material is Mother Nature’s insulation and cutting plants back too soon can do more harm than help,” he said. If there is live tissue in the crown or below the ground, they are likely to recover.