Pruning 101
Pruning 101

Pruning 101

Anyone can prune their own landscapes, here's how you can do it well, and do it right!

Who: Anyone who can operate a pruner, handsaw, or loppers
What: Everything to an extent can be pruned in some way
When: Most things should be pruned in late winter/early spring, before they leaf out.
Q: Can I prune in the fall?
A: Good question, as most people like to clean up their beds before winter, but the dead looking foliage is actually the food source for the plants to get through winter and adds extra protection from harsh weather which is why we like to leave it until spring.
Where: In your landscape, your neighbors, the yard/windbreak. Anywhere you have access to
Why/how: The reasons/actions can vary depending on what you're pruning.
- Perennials are typically pruned to get the old unappealing dead foliage off to allow for the new growth to come out
- Shrubs that mostly die back to the ground (spirea, butterfly bushes, annabelle hydrangeas) can be cut down just above ground level to all new, more vigorous growth
- Shrubs that don't die back to the ground (dogwoods, burning bushes, chokeberry, lilacs, viburnums) may need trimmed all the way down every 2-3 years, depending on how much space they are allowed and if there is a lot of dead in them
- Shrubs such as sun hydrangeas are typically just trimmed to shape or dead headed (trimming the old bloom stem back) every spring
- Shade trees typically only need trimmed as long as the owner can reach it. Double leaders, bad branch croches, wrong branch angles/direction
- Evergreen trees primarily only there double leaders trimmed for the first few years while they can be reached. The owner could also limb up the bottom branches if they are beginning to be shaded out as it gets older.
- Fruit trees can be the most demanding of trees because they need to be well maintained to have good production. Unlike a shade tree, you want to have a more wide and open look rather than straight and full. In other words you don't necessarily need a straight, tall leader, because you don't want it to bear fruit out of reach. So keeping fruit trees in the 12-15' range is ideal. This can be done by trimming back the new growth from the previous year forcing it to branch outwards as well as trimming any branching pointing inwards.

Below is a care sheet that goes into more detail on specific varieties and how to prune them as well as a link to a video of a previous pruning workshop we held and will be holding again February 15th. (So mark your calendars!)

And if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call (362-2714) or e-mail us at fallerlsnursery@gmail.com

Pruning Video