The Art of Pruning

Before the sap starts flowing in the spring, it’s good to prune your plants. If severe pruning is required, this is the time of year to tackle the project. Not all plants can take severe pruning, and flowering plants that have already formed their flower buds will sacrifice their spring bloom if pruned. However, the advantage of early pruning is the maximum re-growth that results, which will fill in your plant beds.           

Pruning is an art and the most feared task of homeowners. Many foundation plantings become overgrown due to lack of pruning. Hedges planted as screens may become thin at the bottom because they were not pruned—pruning helps keep them full. Homeowners should worry more about the consequences of neglecting to prune rather than hesitating due to anxiety over how and when to prune. The consequences of not pruning are extensive and costly.

Plants should do what you want them to do, and they need to be trained. Pruning shears should be part of the gear you carry each time you enter the garden. Pruning is an art you learn by doing. A little snip here and a little snip there will do wonders for your plants and your confidence. Always prune to just above a leaf or a break. Use a sharp bypass-type pruner. As you begin to know your plants, you will also learn when and how to prune.  

Hedge trimmers should be used to trim hedges and hand pruners should be used to prune the rest of the garden. Most gardeners work with powered equipment: mowers, blowers, and hedge trimmers. But the use of power equipment to prune a foundation planting can leave it looking like something from Disneyland—with formally trimmed shapes rather than gracefully integrated plants flowing together to create an interesting design.

A foundation planting should be pruned with hand pruners. It is an art you may have to learn on your own—or you may choose to hire someone else who is experienced with hand pruners to accomplish this task. There are many little tricks that can be learned when pruning plants—but mostly pruning involves common sense and the understanding of a few growth-related topics. You will learn by trial and error; but remember, the greatest error you can make is not to prune at all. I will try to give you some brief insights and a few basic principles.

Pruning terminal growing points forces lateral branching and usually leads to fuller, more compact plants. The more you prune a hedge, the fuller it becomes.      Do not prune too deeply or into the hardwood; rather, prune more frequently. To stop terminal growth, top it. Once you top a hedge, prune it each year to keep it from becoming top heavy.