We get lots of questions about the do’s, don’ts, how’s and what’s when it comes to pruning and we know it sounds scary. Learning a new thing can be frightening, but it is actually a very simple and rewarding process.
All you need to do to become a pruning master is understand a few basic principles behind the why, when and how of pruning shrubs. Then once you understand the basic techniques, you’ll have more flowers and healthier plants in your garden!
Why should I prune a shrub?
When in doubt, don’t prune! Most shrubs don’t require regular pruning in order to healthy and beautiful.
Reasons you may want to prune a shrub:
- Improve flowering and fruiting
- Improve stem color on plants like dogwood
- Improve the plant’s habit or shape
- Encourage rebloom.
- Neaten a plant’s appearance by removing old blooms
- Rejuvenate or shorten an over-grown shrub
How do I prune a shrub?
- Use a pair of sharp bypass pruners. Their scissor-like action makes nice clean cuts.
- Cut the stems back to just above a big bud or set of buds. The bigger the bud you cut back to, the thicker and more vigorous the growth that comes from it will be.
- When cutting a stem back, avoid cutting into heavy wood where you can’t see any buds.
- Make the cuts as small as possible by cutting straight across. This also ensures speedy healing.
- Aim to remove about 1/3 of the plant when pruning.
Helpful Hint! Most shrubs have an appealing natural habit that doesn’t require extensive trimming and shaping. Enjoy your low-maintenance landscape and only prune when necessary.
When do I prune a shrub?
The answer to this depends on whether the shrub blooms on old or new wood.
Old Wood
Shrubs that bloom on old wood create their flower buds for the next year as soon as they finish blooming in the current year. Examples of plants that grow on old wood include:
- Azalea
- Deutzia
- Elderberry
- Forsythia
- Lilac
- Ninebark
- Pearl-bush
- Quince
- Spirea
- Weigela
- Loropetalum
Generally speaking, the earlier in spring a plant blooms, the more likely it flowers on old wood.
If you’re willing to forgo flowers for a years, it’s okay to prune shrubs that bloom on old wood in spring.
New Wood
Plants that bloom on new wood may be pruned in spring:
- Bluebeard
- Butterfly bush
- Coral berry
- Diervilla
- Red-twig dogwood
- Rose of Sharon
- Rose
- Potentilla
Try to time pruning such plants so you do it as the new growth is beginning to emerge on the stems – this allows you to see exactly where healthy new growth is occurring.
For best performance, it’s best to avoid pruning the following plants, except to remove dead wood in the spring:
- Bigleaf hydrangea
- Mountain hydrangea
- Oakleaf hydrangea
- Rhododendron
- Viburnums
- Winterberry Holly
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