Tree trimming- Can I cut them in the cold ?

In the winter, trees go into hibernation. Cutting them in the winter won't hurt them, but in the spring, you'll get a ton of new growth. That will keep them from looking 'cut', but they may also grow back to close to the original size, depending on how much you take off. (If you cut 5 feet off a 10 foot branch, and it grows another foot, you just end up with a 6 foot branch. If you take off a foot, you just keep it to the same size it was.) If you want them to stay small, cut them mid to late spring, after the new growth has already sprouted. Branches grow from the ends, so if you cut off the ends in the spring, it will stop the branch growth (lenght wise) completely until the following spring. The tree will still increase in girth- in both branches and trunk. If you cut them now, the branches will still grow longer in the spring, and they will look more natural. Good luck!