Pruning bushes is an important task that will not only help keep your landscape looking neat and tidy but also improve their overall health. Even so, many homeowners are unsure of how often to trim shrubs—or even when to do it for that matter. Keeping your landscape plants well-pruned is a bit more complex than just taking the hedge trimmer out whenever you feel as though the plants are becoming unruly.
In fact, a mistake with pruning can actually cost you your valuable plant material. A lot of homeowners have questions in regard to the timing of pruning bushes.
But there is no simple answer. There are generally certain times of the year that are best for certain plants. Even within plant categories, there can be variations. For instance, some varieties of Azaleas only bloom once and the best time to prune them would be as soon as possible after they bloom. Ideally, there is only a six-week window of when pruning is appropriate. But some of the newer varieties bloom twice and can be pruned twice also soon after blooming.
Hydrangea shrubs also have variations. There are early blooming, mid blooming, and late blooming hydrangeas and the specific variety that you have will determine when you should prune. Shear hedges once or twice more during the season. Always allow an interval of six to eight weeks so sheared plants can recover.
In areas with cold winters, avoid pruning after the middle of August. If you prune too late, you may stimulate new growth that would not have time to grow thick, protective bark before the killing frosts of winter. A landscape professional can help you identify the shrubs in your yard and advise you on how to prune them. Lawns and landscapes are vital components to creating healthy communities and maintaining strong personal health.
You can also take off really low branches that could interfere with foot traffic or lawnmowers. Cut the branch as close to the source as you can. There is a long list of trees and shrubs that you can prune from winter until the sap starts flowing again in spring. Some of them include: glossy abelia, beauty berries, hydrangeas, Bradford and Callery pears, crabapples, poplar, spruce, junipers, sumacs, cherries, and plums. However, because some trees can ooze sap when pruned in the winter, you're better off waiting until the summer to prune maples, birches, dogwoods, walnuts, and elm trees.
No matter what type of pruning tools you decide to use, make sure you keep them clean. If you've cut out diseased branches, make sure you clean the tools thoroughly before moving on to another tree, to avoid spreading disease.
Johnson says you can disinfect the tools by using just a teaspoon or two of bleach in warm water. Hot, soapy water also kills most germs. Remember to dry tools well after washing, too. And if you can't trim from the ground using pole pruners, or if there's any pruning to be done near power lines, make sure you hire a professional instead of climbing high and taking on the dangerous task yourself.
Product Reviews. Generally speaking, shrubs and trees that bloom on new growth should be pruned in the winter and early spring, while those that bloom on old growth should be pruned in late spring or summer i.
Read on for more details. Got flowering shrubs? When to prune a shrub depends mostly on when it blooms and whether it flowers on growth produced in the same or previous years. For this reason, it may be prudent to hire a tree trimmer to prune any dead trees once every 3 years. To prune shorter trees yourself, look into tree pruners with long-reach poles so that you can keep your own feet safely on the ground.
Now see how to prune with our pruning pointers! For smooth hydrangea, cut all stems to the ground. For bigleaf or oakleaf hydrangea, cut stems with old flowers still attached back to fat flower buds. Some hydrangea are NOT pruned in late winter. To avoid cutting off blooms. I've learned to prune it after it has bloomed. Also, there's always such a debate about when and how to prune crepe myrtles.
I go with Neil Sperry's theory of not topping them! Tree is over and large branches hanging over. The driveway is a disaster waiting to happen. Their Realtor says you can trim trees in Winter. We live basically in Kansas City, Missouri. Can the tree be be cut back now in our climate zone?
Hi, Deborah: Thanks for this excellent question. FWIW , what you describe sounds less like pruning and more like tree work necessary for the sake of safety. Be that as it may, most deciduous plants are dormant during winter and perfectly OK to actually prune to get rid of dead wood and encourage new growth in spring. Thanks again! Hi ORANGE TREE, A well outstanding information you have share on this page about the purning of trees and shrubs in with season due to the insects disease of tree roots ,But you must Pruning deciduous plants in the winter promotes fast regrowth in the spring, as most plants are dormant during the winter.
I have a Washington Navel orange tree in my Southern California yard. It produces luciously sweet, large fruit January-February. It flowers in March-Apri. When is the best time to prune to keep it shaped well and produce for next year? It's now the beginning of March. Am I too late to prune a fig tree to encourage more fruiting? I know February is really the month for pruning fig, but it flew past just way to fast! I'm researching a similar question. For sure, I know that not pruning a mature tree [mine is over ] will mean WAY too many fruiting branches, and less sweet fruit.
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