How to Prune Shrubs

Each year you will want to take some time to prune the shrubs around your home.  This will help them be healthy and strong for the next growing season.  It will also make your garden look maintained and groomed.  Of course, you will need to know what the right technique is for doing this job to achieve the desired effects.

• Make sure that you do your pruning at the right time.  This should be done at the end of the winter or very early in the springtime.  However, spring flowering shrubs should be pruned after they have bloomed.  If you have any questions as to when the best time to prune your plants is, make sure to talk to your local nursery.


• It is important to keep your clippers sharp and in good shape.  If they are dull, the job will be harder and your shrubs may be damaged.  This is why you should have your clippers sharpened after each pruning season.  You should also make sure to keep them clean between seasons, especially if you are going to be pruning different species of shrubs and bushes as this will help stop the spread of any plant diseases.


• Whenever you are pruning bushes make sure that both the top and the bottom will be able to get some sun.  If you prune your shrubs too much at the base they will look sick or weak.  You also do not want your shrub to look top-heavy, which happens when too much of the bottom of it has been pruned.


• Never prune your shrubs during the first planting season.  They need to have a year in which to become established before you prune them.  Trim off any dead limbs or weak spots though.


• All cuts should be made at an angle above a bud union, which is the place on a stem where a new bud joins the stock.  Make sure to cut off all of the branches that are either dead or dying.  Thin out the masses of tangled branches to make the shrub look uniform in nature.  Do not be afraid to do this pruning.  As long as the shrub is healthy, this will help it grow stronger.


• Make sure to do your pruning on a regular basis.  This will help you not have to continuously reshape the plant.