A Beginners Guide to Pruning

Here is a list of standard pruning tools:

 

Handheld or Bypass Pruning Shears – these are versatile trimmers used for smaller branches. They are perfect for trimming branches up to just under an inch in diameter.

 

Hedge Trimmers – are designed for trimming and shaping formal hedges, and will help to acheive clean lines and sharp edges. These types of trimmers come in both manual and electric options.

 

Lopping shears – have longer handles, and these shears are meant for trimming larger, living branches.

 

Pruning saws – are a sturdy, hand held saw and are used for branches that are at least 1.5″ thick. Some pruning saws can also be be adapted to attach to long poles for pruning higher branches.

In early spring and after the last frost, remove any dead or weak growth from your rose plants. Climbing roses and old garden roses should be pruned after they finish blooming. Hybrid teas, shrub roses, floribundas, grandifloras should be pruned in early spring to maintain shape and remove winter damage. Snipping off spent flowers during the growing season will promote new blooms.

There are two types of hydrangeas – those that bloom on new growth and those that bloom on old wood or blooms that develop from last year’s growth. There are several types of hydrangeas, so best to research your exact plant.

Here are some examples:

 

OLD WOOD BLOOMS

 

Bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) require little pruning, and they should be trimmed back slightly after flowering. The plants should be pruned in late summer after flowering to ensure good growth for next year.

 

Climbing Hydrangeas are best trimmed after flowering to maintain the size and shape of the plant if it has become overgrown. In the right conditions, these plants tend to grow and spread quite vigorously.

 

NEW GROWTH BLOOMS

 

Smooth hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) should be pruned back in later winter or early spring to encourage new growth and flowers.

 

Panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata) bloom on new wood and should be pruned in late winter or early spring. Doing so will help create a fuller, healthier plant that is less likely to flop under the weight of its summer flowers.

 

Shrubs such as forsythia, flowering almond, purpleleaf sandcherry, lilacs and rhododendrons are spring flowering shrubs, and should be pruned after flowering in the spring. If you prune spring-flowering shrubs too late in the growing season, or winter you will risk removing flowering buds.

Even if pruning for size is not required, it is always best to remove the spent flowers as this will help the plant produce more flowers next year.

Warm-season grasses – turn brown as the weather turns colder. These can be cut back in late fall or mid to late spring. In the spring, the dead growth should be trimmed back after the last frost to allow the plant to flourish with warmer temperatures. You will need to be careful not to cut any of the new growth.

 

Cool-season grasses – will hold colour or deepen in colour as cool weather arrives.  These ornamental grasses are sometimes referred to as evergreen grasses. These should be pruned in early spring after the final frost.

Most flowering vines such as clematis, honeysuckle, and Boston Ivy are incredibly vigorous growers. These plants can be pruned in early spring, but always double-check the variety as some flower on old wood, which means the new buds on these plants were created on the plant just after it bloomed the previous growing season.

Lush evergreens, pyramidal cedars, and junipers can be lightly pruned in late winter or early spring to remove any winter damage. Pruning in the spring gives the plant a chance to heal and let new buds grow. Spreading evergreens can be sheared or thinned by removing individual branches.

 

Pruning evergreens can create a denser foliage canopy, and new buds will be set at the cut. If you ever notice disproportionally tall growth at the top of these plants, it’s known as the “leader” and can be trimmed at this time. Do not cut below the lowest bud, or the leader will die back, damaging the tree.

It is best to not prune evergreens in late summer or fall as it may not allow the plant enough time to heal and could leave your plants to winter damage.

 

Here at Sheridan Nurseries, we’re proud to offer one of the best selections of pruning tools and pruning products, and our landscape experts are always happy to provide direction for the best pruning guidelines for your plants.