| Not all shrubs require
pruning but you may want to consider it in order to shape the plant, to
encourage vigorous growth, flowering or fruit production or to remove dead,
damaged or diseased material. Following pruning; feed and mulch to encourage
strong, healthy growth.
There are some basic
rules to pruning:
-
Use good quality,
sharp tools
-
Cut out all dead,
diseased or weak growth
-
Prune back to
healthy wood
-
Light pruning:
cutting back of the tips of the branches resulting in new growth and
therefore a denser plant
-
Hard pruning:
cutting out branches altogether resulting in a larger more open plant
-
Remove all
cuttings and compost healthy stems, burn diseased stems
-
Hedges should be
narrower at the top than at the base
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For more information
on how to prune specific plant types click a link below:
|
Type |
Example |
What do do |
When |
|
Evergreens |
Camelia
Pieris
Rhodedendron |
Cut out dead,
weak or crossing branches. Remove extra branches if the shrub is
overcrowded. |
May |
|
Early
Flowering Deciduous |
Forsythia
Weigela
Deutzia
Philadelphus |
Cut out dead,
weak or crossing branches. Remove extra branches if the shrub is
overcrowded. Cut back all branches which have flowered this year. |
Immediately
after flowering |
|
Later
Flowering Deciduous |
Buddleia
Hypericum
Cornus |
Cut out dead,
weak or crossing branches. Remove extra branches if the shrub is
overcrowded. Cut back all old wood hard. Prune before new growth begins. |
January to
March |
|
All damaged or diseased Trees |
Cut back all branches to
clean wood. Paint all surfaces with Arbrex to avoid infection. |
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