Atwood LawnCare

Time of pruning varies with plant species. Spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, deutzia, azalea, spirea, etc.) are normally pruned after flowering. Pruning spring-flowering shrubs during the dormant season will remove flower buds because they bloom on the previous season's growth. Summer-flowering shrubs (abelia, butterfly bush, crape myrtle, etc.) generally are pruned during the dormant winter season. For non-flowering shrubs, the best time for pruning is during the dormant winter season before growth begins in the spring. Light, corrective pruning can be done at any time of the year. Avoid heavy pruning during the late summer and fall because regrowth may occur and make the plants more susceptible to cold injury.
When pruning, first remove any dead, diseased, or damaged wood. Then carefully select and remove branches while maintaining the natural shape of the plant. A good pruning job should not be conspicuous! There are five basic techniques for pruning shrubs:
1) pinching - removing the tip of a succulent, green shoot before it becomes woody and firm. Done to reduce length and encourage branching.
2) heading back - cutting a branch back to a healthy bud or branch to stimulate growth and increase bushiness.
3) thinning - removing a branch at its point of origin (ground, parent stem, side branch, etc.) to create a more open plant without stimulating new growth.
4) renewal pruning (rejuvenation) - removing the oldest branches by pruning them near the ground, leaving the younger, more vigorous branches (which may also be pruned). Abelia, deutzia, forsythia, spirea, and weigela are pruned using this method.
5) shearing - removing the tips of most branches with shearing or hedge clippers. Shearing should be used sparingly as it destroys the natural shape of the plant and inhibits light penetration, eventually causing dieback in the interior of the shrub.