Pruning Shrubs

   It’s the last day of February.  Have you completed you pruning chores?  If not it is not too late.  But before you grab the lopers and begin cutting, let’s review the reasons for pruning.  After all, pruning trees and shrubs is not fun and is often unnecessary.

Here are 5 reasons for pruning and the order in which you would approach the task.

1.  To remove dead, diseased, insect-infested, or broken branches.

2.  To change the size or proportion of the plant.

3.  To develop a special form or shape.

4.  To remove wilted or dead flowers and seed pods.

5.  To rejuvenate a declining shrub.

    Probably the biggest reason people prune plants is reason number 2.  And that is because they put the wrong plant in the wrong place.  They did not know that 18 inch azalea would grow to be 8 feet tall!   Before you plant anything else, find out its mature size.  This will save a lot of future work.

   Following is a short list of what to prune when:

Plants that flower before May - Prune after bloom

Azalea

Dogwood

Forsythia

Redbud

Rhododendron

Clematis

Saucer Magnolia

Flowering Cherry

Camellia

Do not commit crapemurder!!!

Climbing roses

 

Plants that flower after May - Prune prior to spring growth

Chaste Tree

 Crapemyrtle

 Nandina

 Sweetshrub

 Abelia

 Sourwood

 Floribunda roses

 

   Remember to keep you pruners sharp and well-oiled.