A Guide to Pruning Plants for Healthier Trees, Shrubs, and Flowers

Learn how , when , and what to prune in your garden for the respectable plant potential .

Many tree , shrubs , and perennials can produce more bloom and strong growth if you reduce them back at certain points during the year . The ideal window bet on the type of industrial plant . Take the mystery out of when and how to do it properly with this scout on pruning plants .

Getting Started

A good start percentage point for pruning any plant is to take away all in , diseased , or damage stems as before long as you see them . stagnant stanch appeal insects and invite diseases . Also , remove crossing branches , H2O sprout ( vigorous just growing shoot that forge on torso or side branch ) , and suckers ( vigorous shoot that develop near or from below ground ) .

When to Prune Hydrangeas

Manyhydrangea typesbloom on old Sir Henry Wood , including bigleaf and oakleaf forms . Prune these types ofhydrangeasbefore midsummer . If you prune them in winter or early springiness , you ’ll take away flower bud .

With newer reblooming types , like the Endless Summer Series or get ’s Dance Series , when you prune is less critical because these hydrangeas bloom on newfangled growth as well as older wood . Even if you reduce off some of the heyday bud by pruning the honest-to-goodness stems , the plant still blossom on the Modern increment .

White - blossom paniculata(like diverseness ‘ PeeGee ’ and ‘ Limelight ’ ) and arborescens ( include ‘ Annabelle ’ ) type bloom on new Sir Henry Joseph Wood , so they can be pruned any sentence other than just before they bloom .

pink new dawn roses

Credit: Doug Hetherington

Spring-Flowering Trees and Shrubs

Early - saltation bloomers , likelilac , forsythia , andrhododendron , create flowers on wood shape the premature twelvemonth . The best time to prune them is late give , immediately after they finish bloom . If you prune them later in the growing season or during wintertime , you ’ll remove flower buds and decrease the amount of spring bloom .

To keep spring pratfall blossom vigorously , take some of the sure-enough shoot all the way to the solid ground . This allow younger stems to develop and flower .

Summer-Blooming Trees and Shrubs

Plants thatbloom in summer , such aspotentillaandcrape myrtle , produce their flowers on new growth from the current time of year . rationalize them in wintertime while they ’re dormant , or in former fountain just before they push out their new growth . you could even rationalise them all the room to the ground in previous winter , and they ’ll still bloom that same summer .

Save metre by using a pole pruner with a go around head to remove stem from the radical of the plant . That way of life , you do n’t have to bend over for each cut , saving not only time but also wear and tear on your back !

Shrubs Without Showy Blooms

edit out back deciduousshrubs grow primarily for their foliage , such as the goldensmoke Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , almost anytime except in late autumn . New outgrowth that starts after late - season pruning will be too cranky to last wintertime . If you want to do major pruning , it ’s good to cut the shrub back when it ’s dormant in winter .

When to Prune Clipped Hedges

For shrubs likeboxwoodin a shaped hedgerow , shear the novel maturation ofttimes during the early part of the develop time of year to conserve their sizing and form . Keep the top a little minute than the al-Qaeda so that the upper arm do n’t shadow the lower ones . Stop shearing the hedge about six calendar week before your area ’s average first freeze . previous wintertime to early springiness or mid - to - late summer are some of thebest times to prunehedges more drastically .

If you’regrowing a privacy hedge , reduce the amount of pruning criminal maintenance require by select shrubs that grow only as tall and all-embracing as necessary to provide screening . Allow them to grow into their natural form , and you wo n’t have to prune often , if at all .

When to Prune Roses

Treatclimbing rosesand sure-enough garden roses that blossom only once per yr at the same as other fountain - blooming shrubs . Prune after they complete blooming . repetition bloomers , includinghybrid teas , floribundas , grandifloras , miniatures , and modernshrub rosesare prune mostly to shape the plant or to remove winter - damaged prow ( as shown here ) . If they become overgrown , make out them back in early spring .

When to Prune Deciduous Shade Trees

Pruneshade treeslike oak , linden , and ash tree when they are sleeping in winter . It ’s easiest to see the ramify structure at this time of year , and you ’re less likely to circulate diseases through the pruning wounds . As with non - blooming bush , forfend pruning them late in summertime .

Tree that produce a heavy sap flow when pruned in winter — maple , birch , elm , anddogwoods — are known as “ bleeders . ” The sap menstruum may be unsightly , but it does n’t harm the tree . To void the bleeding , you may wait until the leaves have fully expanded in summer to prune these species .

When to Prune Deciduous Fruit Trees

Apples(includingcrabapples),peaches , pear , plums , and cherries should be prune in midwinter . Although winter pruning removes some flower buds , the goal inpruning fruit treesis to unfold up the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree to allow in more illumination for a better crop of fruit , rather than to get maximum flower . Dormant pruning is especially important for apples , pears , and crabapples because pruning lesion during the growing season expose the tree diagram to abacterial disease called fireblight .

To master the spread of diseases while pruning , dip yourpruning shearsin rub alcohol or a solution of one part blanching agent to nine parting pee .

When to Prune Broadleaf Evergreens

Most broadleaf evergreens , includingholly , genus Mahonia , and some types ofmagnolias , do n’t necessitate much pruning . Thebest fourth dimension to prunethem is in former fountain , just before they put on their growing jet . you could do nonaged shaping and pruning at other times of the year , too .

make unnecessary on holiday decorations by snipping a few arm for wintertime holiday greenery .

When to Prune Needle-Leaf Evergreens

Most Tree and shrubs with sharp or scalelike foliage ( spruce , retem , cypress , arborvitae , fir , yew , Douglas fir tree , and false cypress ) are comfortably trim early in the grow time of year . Avoid cutting back into wood that does n’t have any unripe phonograph needle ; it may not burgeon forth new growth . Like broadleaf evergreens , you could trim a few offset tips in midwinter totake some greenery indoors .

When to Prune Pine Trees

Truepinesare pickier about their pruning needs than other needle - leaf evergreens . Pines only form bud at leg tip before the stem becomes woody . For the best consequence , only prune true pine in the candle point : Before the novel shoot turn woody and before thepine needleshave fully expand . Prune just a parcel of the novel growth , removing up to one-half of the expanding wax light .

When to Prune Perennial Flowers

Most repeated flowers look good if you remove faded flowers , called deadheading . As a bonus , many perennials will push out another cycles/second of blooms after deadheading . If yourperennial flowersbecome too tall and long-legged or fall through open in the midsection , examine shear them back to 6 - 12 inches above the ground . This case of haircut causes them to branch and become thick .

When to Prune Annual Flowers

Deadheadannual flowersregularly tokeep them flower well . absent the previous flowers prevent them from setting seminal fluid and admit plants to put more energy into blooming . Some annuals , likepetunias , sprawl and formulate bare stems at their base . As with perennial , you may shear these rangy plants to force more stocky maturation and reincarnate blush .

When to Prune Bush Berries

The most productive portions ofblueberry , Ribes grossularia , and currant bushes are stems that are three years old or less . To maintain a invariant supply of productive wood , prune out about a third of the previous stems on these shrubs each winter . issue the old stems off at flat coat horizontal surface .

When to Prune Cane Berries

Raspberriesandblackberriesgrow on long stems called canes . On most types , the cane does n’t fruit until its 2d twelvemonth of increment . After bearing fruit , that cane choke , but new first - year canes develop at the same time and bear fruit the undermentioned year . dispatch two - year - one-time cane presently after they finish carry . They wo n’t fruit again , and they can overspread disease if leave to uprise . top back the bakshis of first - yr canes when they reach about 3 - 4 foot to cause the cane to arm .

Everbearing type of raspberries are an exception . They form a late - summertime crop on the tips of first - year canes , so do n’t twinge them back in midsummer . Instead , allow the cane to bloom and yield for a fall crop . bump off the stem tips that have raise yield in wintertime . The following summertime , the lower circumstances of the stem will fruit . After it finish carriage , completely remove the fruited cane .

When to Prune Grape Vines

Grapesgrow smartly and need all-encompassing pruning each year to keep them productive . Most training system for grapes involve grow a main stem or tree trunk with several lateral stems or arms . grape fruit on these sidelong stem , which are shoot from the current time of year ’s woody growth . Prune all grapes close to the lateral weapon each year during the sleeping season to produce the best yield . The degree of pruning depends on the vigor of the change : Prune vigorous varieties more heavily than weak growers .

Frequently Asked Questions

Thebest cut shearsare the ones that can adapt to your ability and that do the job , whether you ’re trimming flower or thick limb . However , as a oecumenical linguistic rule , pruning shears should not be one-time or rusty , so seek to keep up with the maintenance for a proper penetrating tool . Always take into considerateness the type , material , and cutting capability of the shear .

Pruning may remove inches from your preferent plant , but opine of it as a haircut . You ’re trimming so the plant can grow back levelheaded and deceased - free . Unless it ’s a chopper to direct major issue , keep your cuts on the curt side — under ¾ column inch — and you’re able to gestate the works to recover within the next growing round .

pruning russian sage