What is pruning, and when is the right time to do it?

Bigger doesn’t always mean better for plants. That’s where pruning steps in—to boost the health of your trees or plants and help you manage and direct their growth. But how and when should you prune your plants or trees? And how does trimming them promote more robust, vigorous regrowth?

Understand the essentials of pruning—from what it involves to the best techniques and timing for it.

What is Pruning?

Pruning involves carefully trimming back branches or stems from your plants or trees to enhance their health, encourage more blooms, and shape them to fit the space in your garden effectively.

This process includes not only removing dead, damaged, or diseased branches but also thinning out excess growth to allow sunlight to reach lower branches, preventing branches from obstructing pathways, and cutting away limbs that may be vulnerable to disease.

What Tools Are Needed for Pruning Plants?

Pruning plants may require a variety of gardening tools, depending on the plants being pruned. For smaller shrubs and plants, a bypass pruning shear, a scissor-like tool, is perfect for branches under an inch wide. Hedge shears, with their long, scissor-like blades and thick handles, are used to shape shrubs. A lopper, with a long pole and a blade, is ideal for cutting larger and harder-to-reach branches. A pruning saw, which has a long, curved blade, is also useful for branches closer to the ground.

How to Prune Plants

Pruning plants is relatively straightforward, but it’s important to follow the correct guidelines for each plant to avoid damaging it by improper cutting.

Know the Right Time

The ideal time to prune and deadhead your plants and trees varies depending on the species of the plant or tree.

You can remove dead or diseased branches as soon as you notice them, along with spent or dead flowers, to keep your garden looking its best.

Many plants should be pruned in late winter or early spring to encourage new growth. In summer, you’ll typically just need to remove dead flowers from blooming plants or trim back plants that have finished flowering for the season.

One period to avoid pruning is late summer through fall. New growth created at this time might not be strong enough to endure winter, and cuts may not heal in time, leaving your plant vulnerable to disease.

Begin with small steps

Similar to cutting your own bangs, it’s best to take it slow at first—you can always trim more later if needed.

Focus on the obvious cuts

The first cuts are usually straightforward—remove any dead or damaged branches, yellowing or dried leaves, and spent flowers.

Next, examine the plant’s structure. Look for areas with too many branches that could be thinned out to let sunlight reach the lower parts. Also, trim branches that cross or rub together to prevent wear spots, which could invite pests or disease into the plant.

Once again, adhere to your plant’s specific pruning needs. Some plants need heavy pruning—almost down to the soil—while others only need about a third of their growth cut back.

Cut at the right location

Make sure to trim back to a growing point, such as a leaf node, where another branch branches out, or all the way down to the soil line.

Which Plants Require Pruning?

Some plants need seasonal pruning, like in early spring or late winter, while others may require regular upkeep to remove spent flowers or control overgrowth. Here are some common garden plants that need frequent pruning, along with the best times to tackle it on your schedule.

• Butterfly Bush (late winter or early spring)
• Crepe Myrtle (late winter)
• Forsythia (late spring)
• Fruit trees (mid-winter)
• Hydrangea (spring for mop-head hydrangeas, summer for lacecap hydrangea)
• Lilacs (spring after blooming)
• Perennial Flowers (generally after the bloom season is done, but check your variety)
• Roses (depending on the variety)

Which Plants Require Minimal Pruning?

Certain plants don’t need much pruning to remain healthy, so you can let them grow freely unless you want to shape them, remove branches blocking pathways or other plants, or cut away dead or diseased parts.

Here are some plants that generally don’t need regular pruning:

• Spotted Laurel
• Creeping Juniper
• Deciduous Azalea
• Holly
• Manzanita
• Myrtle