Tips on how to trim and prune shrubs for better growth

Shrubs need to be trimmed and pruned primarily to restrict their growth.

The right time to trim shrubs would be when during the mid fall or early spring. Though mid fall would work out better in most cases.

Remember that most shrubs are spring bloomers, pruning them by early spring can disrupt their flowering. If you want them to give a great show during spring, then lay off on too much pruning.

Trim your shrubs as judiciously as possible so that you don't disturb its flowering cycle. If you trim off their flowering branches you will need to wait a good period before the new shoots start flowering. Most shrubs flower on their one year old branches.

Several gardeners prune their shrubs only they are done with the initial spring bloom towards mid summer.

So the two timings which are right for pruning are

  • Just after the bloom is over, during early summer or mid summer
  • During fall

When you trim shrubs follow these steps

While pruning your shrubs annually or during the periodic trim, you should keep the following pointers in mind.

  • Use clean and sharp tools. There is nothing worse than using blunt tools on your plants. Rusted tools should be avoided completely.
    • If you have a hedge shrub which have thick woody branches, you should consider using an electric hedge trimmer
  • Groom your shrubs by cutting off all the old and dead branches. Don't mind cutting the growth from the tip.
  • You can cut off a few old stems also. But be judicious while doing this.
  • Allow for a year before pruning the stems shorter, to adjust the height you require from the shrubs.

A well trimmed shrub looks elegant and flowers better. Shrubs have a way of growing out of their space within a few months and can cramp their neighbors. If you are using shrubs for your fencing or hedging you would need to be more regular with trimming your shrubs.

Make sure you use sharp tools though and keep your cutting tools clean. Rusted tools can cause infection in plants and blunt tools can crush the branches badly when you trim the shrubs. Happy gardening.