If your hedge is sprawling over your sidewalk, you may need to prune it.
If you want to know how to prune correctly, either to manage the growth of hedges or to encourage more blooms, this article will give you the information you need. It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced gardener or someone who is just starting to learn about pruning shrubs – this article has something for everyone.
Make a list of things to do and not to do before trimming a bush.
The Dos and Don’ts of Shrub Trimming
Pruning shrubs and small trees will help them stay healthy and looking their best. In some cases, pruning a bush can encourage more blooms on flowering species. Using high-quality tools and following the correct pruning techniques will make the project go more quickly and produce better results.
DO use the correct tools for shearing hedges.
Pruning tools should be selected based on the type and size of branch being cut. Cutting tools that make clean cuts on green wood are preferable, while those that employ a crushing action work best on dry limbs. The type of pruning tool to be used on hedges or shrubs should be based on the type of pruning that is necessary.
- Pruning shears: Handheld, scissor-like tools, pruning shears are operated with one hand and are suitable for cutting small stems up to about ½ inch in diameter.
- Loppers: For cutting stems and branches up to about 2 inches in diameter, loppers are the tool of choice. They feature two long handles, and require both hands to open and close the lopper blades.
- Saws: Pruning saws, or even chainsaws, are required to cut large branches over 2 inches in diameter. Saws may get their power from batteries or fuel, or they may require manual operation.
Choose a pruning tool based on the size and type of branch. Pruning shears and loppers have two different types of cutting mechanisms, one for greenwood and one for dry wood branches.
- Bypass: This type of pruner features two blades that bypass one another (like scissors) to make sharp cuts on green branches. They’re not suitable for trimming dry, dead branches.
- Anvil: Instead of blades that bypass, anvil pruners feature a single blade and a solid base (the anvil). These pruners work by crushing rather than cutting, which best suits trimming of dry, dead branches.
DON’T allow dead branches and limbs to become a safety hazard.
Most gardeners prune away dead branches for two reasons: to ensure the health of the tree or shrub, and to keep them from becoming dangerous airborne projectiles during high-wind events.
If you have a dead branch on your tree, it is easier to take off and it is more likely to fall and damage something. Also, overgrown shrubs can block people’s views if they are near sidewalks or streets. If you have a dead bush, make sure to check it for disease and put it in the compost pile to prevent the spread of pest or disease to your healthy shrubs.
DO use the correct technique for cutting hedges down to size.
The cleaner the cut, the easier it is for the tree or shrub to recover. A jagged tear requires more energy to heal and increases the risk of disease.
Two different cuts are typically called for when pruning shrubs or trees – heading cuts or thinning cuts. Heading cuts are made to the stems that grow from the main branches of the shrub. Thinning cuts are made to the main branches themselves.
- Heading cuts: Used to remove unruly stems and branches, heading cuts are made just outside a branch node with a bud. A heading cut will stimulate the bud’s growth and is commonly used to shape hedges and shrubs.
- Thinning cuts: Trees and shrubs both benefit from ample air circulation, so it’s essential to cut out dense-growing branches to keep the specimen healthy. Thinning cuts are made where the unwanted branch meets the tree’s trunk or the base of the shrub to remove the entire branch.
DON’T give up on lopsided, dying, or tangled shrubs.
If your shrub or tree is not dead, then all you may need to do to improve its health and encourage new growth is prune away any broken, dead, or tangled branches. This is especially the case for native shrubs. Try the following:
- Cut away an unruly branch just outside an off-shoot that’s going in a direction you’d like to encourage. For example, if a tree branch is leaning to one side and you’d like to promote upward growth, locate a small branch off-shoot on the same branch that’s pointed upward, and cut away the rest of the branch just outside that off-shoot. The tree will then send more energy into the upward-growing off-shoot.
- Repeat with other branches to completely change the growth pattern of a tree. Be careful. The general rule is never to remove more than one-third of a tree or shrubs’ branches at one time, so it doesn’t shock the specimen.
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Heading
The goal of heading cuts is different from that of thinning cuts. Heading cuts remove part of a branch or twig in order to make the plant denser, control its size, or shape it. To shear a hedge, you would make hundreds of heading cuts.
Cutting perennials back after blooming will help to promote new growth and reblooms.
The two types of heading cuts are selective and nonselective. Selective cuts are made by cutting back a branch or twig close to a bud to reduce a shrub’s height while retaining its natural form. Nonselective heading cuts shorten the length of a branch by cutting it back to no place in particular. Shearing stimulates dense growth at the ends of branches and should be reserved for shrubs that can tolerate repeated grooming, such as boxwoods.
When to make heading cuts:
The timing of heading cuts varies depending on the plant species and your objectives. One of the most important rules is to prune spring-flowering shrubs, such as forsythia and lilacs, soon after they bloom. This is because they develop their flower buds during the summer and fall of the previous year. If you prune them after early to midsummer, you risk removing most of the buds for the following season.
Summer and fall flowering shrubs can be pruned in late winter or early spring to encourage new growth and more flowers.Hydrangeas can be variable in this respect, with some plants forming buds on new wood and some on old wood.
After the first flush of new growth in the spring, clip formal hedges. To keep their shape, you might have to shear them during the growing season if they start to look messy. Don’t shear in late fall because the new growth that follows may not have time to harden off before the first frost.
Pinching
Pruning herbaceous perennials is often done by pinching off the tips and first set of leaves of a stem to stagger bloom time and control the plant’s height and shape. According to Tracy DiSabato-Aust, author of The Well-Tended Perennial Garden, pinching can enhance the habit and flowering effect of many other perennials. DiSabato-Aust recommends pinching asters, joe-pye weed, beebalm, Russian sage, sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, phlox, turtlehead, and common yarrow.
If you want your asters and chrysanthemums to bloom later in the fall, you can pinch back some of their stems before they bloom. This will also make the plants fuller and more compact.
Tools and techniques:
To prune most plant stems, you can use the tips of your fingers, hand pruners, or garden scissors. For the best appearance, you should pinch the stem just above a leaf node. You should not prune perennials that form only a single flower bud or stalk, such as daylilies, hostas, astilbes, and coral bells.
When to pinch:
The best time for pinching is generally early to mid-June, especially for fall-flowering perennials. However, if you are pinching solely for the purpose of shaping a plant, the timing isn’t as critical.
Deadheading
Although it can take some time, deadheading (cutting off withered flowers) can encourage plants to bloom again and prevent them from scattering seeds everywhere. This process is especially useful for perennials that only bloom once.
Some plants look better when their spent flowers are left to dry, such as alliums, astilbes, goat’s beard, and Russian sage. For other plants, you may want to allow seedheads to form to provide winter interest and a food source for birds.
Tools and techniques:
You can use shears to trim back vigorous bloomers, like hardy geraniums, dianthus, and coreopsis, to about half their height. For less profuse bloomers, you can use scissors, hand pruners, or even your nails to cut back to a bud or leaf node. For leafless-stemmed flowers, like hostas, cut them down to the base and remove the entire stem.
When to deadhead:
If you want a plant to redirect its energy into new growth, it is best to remove faded flowers as soon as you notice them. However, if you find it difficult to keep up with this task, you can simply deadhead the plant when you have time. This delay will not do much harm, and it may even work to your advantage by prolonging the plant’s flowering period.
Final Thoughts
Pruning is essential for keeping trees and shrubs healthy and looking good. In many cases, pruning a bush is a project that a homeowner can perform with just a few good pruning tools.
Removing large branches from trees or taller privacy plantings can be dangerous, and most people who try to do it themselves don’t have the right equipment. If you need to use a power saw while you’re on a ladder, it’s better to call a professional landscaping or tree trimming company.
