How to Properly Prune Bushes and Trees

A well-trimmed yard adds beauty and symmetry to your outdoor spaces while stimulating healthy plant growth. Cutting your landscaping back admits more air and light into the interior portions of your plants, helping them thrive. Of course, knowing how to prune your bushes and trees is essential for accomplishing this. Despite its benefits and owing to the multitude of techniques and perceived risks, pruning frequently intimidates the novice gardener.

However, learning how to prune not only enables your plants to lead fuller and healthier lives, but it’s also simpler than most homeowners think. In this post, we'll introduce seven essential pruning tips while revealing the best strategies for keeping your shrubs and trees looking fantastic all year round. So, continue reading if you want to give your yard some extra TLC with these seven key tricks of the landscape pruning trade.

1. Cut back to enable healthy new growth

Pruning your trees and shrubs gives them room to extend and encourages healthier growth. It also refocuses your plant's energy on flowering and producing fruit or nuts, rather than just growing new leaves. Clearing damaged or wounded branches is equally vital for keeping your plants healthy year-round.

2. Start pruning in winter and early spring 

Take advantage of your trees' and shrubs' dormant period in winter or very early spring. Thick leaves or blossoms won't block your view during these times, and you can better see the plant's shape. If you have spring-flowering shrubs, prune them after blooms have completely faded or when buds are just starting to open. For summer-flowering shrubs, late winter or early spring is the best time to prune.

3. Remove weak and ill-formed growth contributing to overcrowding

Thinning out damaged branches lets more of the trees and bushes absorb the sun's rays while controlling your plant's shape and overall presentation. This technique is also an effective way to prevent your shrubs and trees from overtaking their own space and impeding the growth of neighboring plants.

4. Start your cuts in the right place

When pruning, cut back to the main stem, trunk, or branch and toward any outward-facing buds. Ensure your pruners are sharp and that you're cutting as close to the branch as possible. Give the plant a more natural-looking shape by pruning branches and stems to varying lengths.

5. Let your plants guide your pruning

Observe how the plants grow in the months following pruning to guide your next session.

6. Enhance aesthetic appeal

Focus on improving the appearance of your overall landscape design while pruning. A plant's natural form is usually best. If you're looking for a specific geometrical shape or tight form, prune with that objective in mind. Plant sculpting can be tricky, but if approached correctly, it should be hard to tell that you've even touched your shrubs and trees at all.

7. Remain diligent and consider a professional landscaping consultation

If you follow these simple tips for pruning closely, you’ll watch your yard flourish while giving your outdoor environment the extra personal touch it needs. Keeping your shrubs and trees healthy requires careful attention and consistency, so be sure to check in on their progress regularly to protect your plants from overgrowth and disease. 

And remember to consult a professional landscaping service like ProScapes by RHC in Oceanside, CA for advanced pruning tasks, like sculpting, or if you're unsure of the best pruning methods for your specific varieties. Find more inspiring home and garden tips by following HomeMag on Facebook and Instagram today!