Pruning 101

This section is a guide to tackling many of the pruning jobs in your garden. It is divided into 21 modules addressing pruning needs for common plants, trees and shrubs.

Module #21 contains pruning book recommendations and classes which will be updated regularly so do check it often.

(Sources: BH+G Garden Editors, Royal Horticultural Society UK, Sauvie Island Lavender Farm, David Austin Roses, EHS members, Nancy Dattrino EMG, University of Vermont Professor Dr. Leonard Perry )

If you have any questions, please contact us (click here) and a Master Gardener will be happy to answer your questions.

**Module 1: Getting Started**
A good starting point for pruning is to make sure your tools are in great shape year-round. Module #20, shares some top cleaning, sanitizing, sharpening and storage tips for pruning tools.

Make sure your plants are in good condition by removing dead, diseased, or damaged stems as soon as you see them. Dead stems attract insects and invite diseases to develop. Also remove crossing branches, water sprouts (vigorous upright growing shoots that form on trunks or side branches), and suckers (vigorous shoots that develop near or from below ground).
Photo Credit: Marty Baldwin

**Module 2: Pruning Hydrangeas**

Many hydrangea types bloom on old wood, including pink, blue, or white mopheads and lacecaps, or oakleaf forms. Prune these types of hydrangeas before midsummer. If you prune them in winter or early spring, you'll be removing flower buds.
With newer reblooming types, like the Endless Summer® Series or Let's Dance® Series, which bloom on new growth as well as old wood, when you prune is less critical. Even if you cut off some of the flower buds by pruning the old stems, the plant will bloom on the new growth. White-flowered paniculata (like varieties 'PeeGee' and 'Limelight') and arborescens (including 'Annabelle') types flower on new wood, so they can be pruned any time other than just before they bloom.
Photo Credit: Mattew Benson

**Module 3: Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs**

Early-spring bloomers, like lilac, forsythia, and rhododendron, produce flowers on wood formed the previous year. The best time to prune them is late spring, immediately after they finish blooming. If you prune them later in the growing season or during winter, you'll remove flower buds and decrease the amount of spring bloom.
**Test Garden Tip:** To keep spring bloomers flowering vigorously, remove some of the oldest shoots all the way to the ground. This allows younger stems to grow and bloom.
Photo credit: Peter Krumhardt

**Module 4: Summer blooming Trees and Shrubs**

Plants that bloom in summer, like potentilla, or butterfly bush, produce their flowers on new growth from the current season. Prune them in winter while they're dormant, or in early spring just before they push out their new growth. You can even cut them all the way to the ground in late winter, and they'll still bloom that same summer.
Photo credit: Spring Meadow Nursery

**Module 5: Pruning Lavender**

Julie at Sauvie Island Lavender Farm presents a very informative video tutorial on trimming lavender. Please click here to view her video.

**Module 6: Shrubs without showy Blooms**

Cut back shrubs grown primarily for their foliage, like barberry and burning bush, almost anytime except in late autumn. New growth that starts after late-season pruning won't harden off properly before winter. If you want to do major pruning, it's best to cut the shrub back when it is dormant in winter.
Photo Credit: Jason Wilde

**Module 7: Pruning Clematis**

Regular pruning of clematis encourages strong growth and flowering and keeps the growth in check. If left unpruned, clematis can turn into a mass of tangled stems with bare base and flowers well above eye level.
**Quick Fact Suitable for:** Most clematis
**Timing** The main pruning season is late winter to early spring, but some can also be pruned in early summer after their first flush of flowers.
**Herbaceous clematis**
Prune herbaceous clematis such as *C. heracleifolia, C. integrifolia* and *C. recta* to near ground level in early spring or late autumn.
**There are 3 groups of Clematis based on blooming times:**
**Group 1:** Spring blooming
This group doesn’t require much pruning except to clean up dead branches/leaves. Prune mid-to late spring, after first flowering.
Click here for Group 1 pruning guide.
**Group 2:** Summer blooming
Prune in March and after the first flush of flowers in early summer.
Click here for Group 2 pruning guide.
**Group 3:** Fall blooming
Prune in late winter - early March.
Click here for Group 3 pruning guide.
Photo Credit: Growjoy.com

**Module 8: Pruning Roses**

There are several types of roses including: shrub, miniature, ground cover, hybrid, rambling and climbing. Pruning for each type of rose varies so please click on underlined words to be directed to specific rose type pruning guidelines.
The Royal Horticultural Society offers in-depth pruning guidelines and videos which you can access by clicking here.
David Austin®Roses offers video tutorials for pruning different types of roses which you can access by clicking here.

Treat climbers and old garden roses that bloom only once per year the same as other spring-blooming shrubs - prune after they finish blooming. Repeat bloomers, including hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, miniatures, and modern shrub roses - prune mostly to shape the plant or to remove winter-damaged canes. If they become overgrown, cut them back in early spring.
Photo Credit: Odile

**Module 9: Pruning Clipped Hedges**

Shrubs like boxwood and privet are often sheared to form a hedge. To maintain a solid wall of green, shear the new growth frequently during the early part of the growing season. (Late winter to early spring or mid- to late summer are some of the best times to prune hedges.) Keep the top narrower than the base so that the upper branches don't shade the lower ones. Stop shearing the hedge about six weeks before your area's average first frost.
**Test Garden Tip:** If you're growing a privacy hedge, reduce the amount of pruning maintenance needed by selecting shrubs that grow only as tall and wide as necessary to provide screening. Allow them to grow into their natural form, and you won't have to prune very often, if at all.
Photo Credit: Janet Mesic Mackie

**Module 10: Deciduous Shade Trees**

Prune shade trees like oak, linden, and ash when they are dormant in winter. It's easiest to see the branching structure at this time of year, and you're less likely to spread diseases through the pruning wounds. As with non-blooming shrubs, avoid pruning them late in summer.
**Test Garden Tip:** Trees that produce a heavy sap flow when pruned in winter—maples, birches, elms, and dogwoods—are known as "bleeders." The sap flow may be unsightly, but it doesn't harm the tree. To avoid the bleeding, you can wait until the leaves have fully expanded in summer to prune these species.
Photo Credit: Per Breiehagen

**Module 11: Pruning Fruit Trees**

Apples (including crabapples), peaches, pears, plums, and cherries should be pruned in midwinter. Although winter pruning removes some of their flower buds, the goal in pruning fruit trees is to open up the tree to allow in more light for a better crop of fruit, rather than to get maximum bloom. Dormant pruning is especially important for apples, pears, and crabapples because pruning wounds during the growing season expose the trees to a bacterial disease called fireblight.
**Test Garden Tip:** To control the spread of diseases while pruning, dip your pruning shears in rubbing alcohol or a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water.
Photo Credit: Studio Au King

**Module 12: Pruning Broadleaf Evergreens**

Most broadleaf evergreens, including holly, Oregon Grape (*Mahonia* *aquifolium),* and some types of magnolias, don't need much pruning. The best time to prune them is in early spring, just before they put on their growth spurt. You can do minor shaping and pruning at other times of year, too.
**Test Garden Tip:** Save on holiday decorations by snipping a few branches for winter holiday greenery.
Photo Credit: Hetherington & Associates

**Module 13: Pruning Needle Leaf Evergreens**

Most trees and shrubs with needlelike or scalelike foliage (spruce, juniper, cypress, *Thuga* *arborvitae*, fir, yew, Douglas fir, and false cypress) are best pruned early in the growing season. Avoid cutting back into wood that doesn't have any green needles; it may not sprout new growth. Like broadleaf evergreens, you can trim a few branch tips in midwinter to take some greenery indoors.
Photo Credit: The Wilde Project

**Module 14: Pruning Pine Trees**

True pines are pickier about their pruning needs than other needle-leaf evergreens. Pines only form buds at branch tips before the stem becomes woody. For the best results, only prune pines in the candle stage: Before the new shoots turn woody and before the needles have fully expanded. Prune just a portion of the new growth, removing up to half of the expanding candle.
Photo Credit: Studio G

**Module 15: Pruning Perennial Flowers**

Most perennial flowers look best if you remove faded flowers - this is call deadheading. As a bonus, many perennials will push out another cycle of blooms after deadheading. If your perennial flowers become too tall and leggy, or flop open in the middle, try shearing them back to 6-12 inches above the ground. This type of haircut causes them to branch and become stockier.
Photo Credit: Paul Gellatly, Tattooed Gardener

**Module 16: Pruning Annual Flowers**

Deadhead annual flowers regularly to keep them blooming well. Removing the old flowers prevents them from setting seed and allows plants to put more energy into blooming. Some annuals like petunias sprawl and develop bare stems at their bases. As with perennials, you can shear these rangy plants to force more compact growth and renewed bloom.

**Module 17: Pruning Bush Berries**

The most productive portions of blueberry, gooseberry, and currant bushes are stems that are three years old or less. To maintain a constant supply of productive wood, prune out about a third of the oldest stems on these shrubs each winter. Cut the old stems off at ground level.
Photo Credit: Rob Cardillo

**Module 18: Pruning Cane Berries**

Raspberries and blackberries grow on long stems called canes. On most types, the cane doesn't fruit until its second year of growth. After bearing fruit, the cane dies. But new first-year canes develop at the same time, and will bear fruit the following year. Remove dead, two-year-old canes soon after they finish bearing. They won't fruit again, and they can spread disease if left to grow. Pinch back the tips of first-year canes when they reach about 3-4 feet to cause the cane to branch.
Everbearing types of raspberries are an exception. They form a late-summer crop on the tips of first-year canes, so don't pinch them back in midsummer. Instead, allow the canes to flower and fruit for a fall crop. Remove the stem tips that have produced fruit in winter. The following summer the lower portion of the stem will fruit. After it finishes bearing, completely remove the fruited cane.
Photo Credit: Granen Photography

**Module 19: Pruning Grape Vines**

Grapes grow vigorously and need extensive pruning each year to keep them productive. Most training systems for grapes involve developing a main stem or trunk with several lateral stems or arms. Grapes fruit on lateral shoots from the current season's woody growth. Prune all grapes close to the lateral arms each year during the dormant season to produce the best fruit. The degree of pruning depends on the vigor of the variety: Prune vigorous varieties more heavily than weak growers.
Photo Credit: The Old Farmer’s Almanac

**Module 20: Cleaning and Caring for Your Garden Tools**

A key step for pruning and creating a beautiful yard is to keep your garden gear in great shape year-round. Here are some top cleaning, sanitizing, sharpening and storage tips.
Photo credit: The Spruce

Suggested Tools for Pruning:

Anvil pruners are typically used on dead plant material like cutting back grasses at the start of the season. This type of pruner smashes the stem which is why it is used on dead material. The other good use is for deadheading flowering plants. When you prune a faded flower from the stalk, it stays in the pruner allowing you to drop it into your bucket or whatever you use for refuse when pruning.

Bypass pruners are for live material in the garden. Felco is my brand of choice and they are called that because the blades “pass by” each other making a clean sharp cut with no damage to the plant stem.

Quick cut folding saw is an excellent all purpose pruning tool. The diamond-sharpened teeth cut quickly and cleanly, leaving a smooth stub that minimizes disease risk. Cuts on the pull stroke for extra control. Handles have a comfortable grip and usually come with a scabbard.

Hand Held Shear Trimmer (battery powered) is great on small plants like Japanese Holly and Lavender; clipped hedges of boxwood, yew etc., Module #5 shows more details on using a small, hand held trimmer.

Tools Used in Soil

Clean tools work more effectively, are easier to use, and they last longer.

Keeping tools used in soil cleaned keeps their edges sharper too, preventing rust from forming, and removes possible disease-laden soil particles.

For tools such as shovels, hoes and garden forks that are used in soil, wash them after use with a forceful stream of water from the hose.

For stubborn soils such as clay, use a wire-bristle brush or dull implement if needed. Then dry tools with a rag.

Tools with Metal Parts

To prevent the metal part of tools from rusting, wipe tools after use or spray with a very light coat of motor oil. Some people recycle their old oil from mowers for this use.

You can wipe the oil on with an old rag or paper towel, spray it on with a hand sprayer, or make a mix of the soil with sand to push tools into after each use. The latter is easy, quick, and the sand helps provide some abrasion to remove soil in the process. The oil breaks down rapidly in the soil, and little is used, so you shouldn’t have any negative soil effects.

For blades of saws and pruners that end up with sticky plant sap, such as from evergreens (pines, spruces and the like), use some paint thinner to remove the sap before wiping with a rag.

Some people store their shovels and hoes in the bucket of sand and oil over the winter to keep them from rusting-some garages have moisture levels which could rust tools.

For severely rusted tools, you may need to use rough sandpaper, and even perhaps a wire bristle brush. For the most rusted, you may need to use a drill with wire brush attachment. For the latter in particular, make sure to wear safety glasses. Then make sure to wipe and coat with oil.

Tools used to Prune Infected Plants

Cleaning tools even more often when working on infected plants is essential to prevent disease spread.

If pruning diseased limbs from trees, keep a container of rubbing alcohol, bleach (one part to 9 parts water), or disinfectant (such as Lysol) handy to dip blades in between pruning each plant to avoid spreading disease.

For Smaller Hand Tools

For small hand tools, some use a strong black tea. Brew up enough in a pan or kettle to cover the tools, then let them, or blades at least, soak for a few hours after the tea is cooled.

Rust should wipe off easily with a rag. If tools aren’t very dirty or rusty, a balled up handful of wax paper rubbed over surfaces may be sufficient—both cleaning and leaving some protective wax on them.

Sharpening Tools

It is best to sharpen your tools regularly as used during the season. This is more important if tools have rusted.

For dull large tools such as shovels, axes, and spades, you can use a hand file available from hardware or home stores.

If very dull, you may need a high speed grinding stone or drill attachment. As with cleaning, make sure to wear eye protection if using a high-speed grinder.

If using a grinder made for this purpose, as some do with lawn mower blades, it is easy to get carried away. If the metal heats up too much it can lose its “temper”, meaning it won’t hold an edge well again. If grinding, keep the metal from heating by dipping in cold water. It should remain cool to the touch. Improper sharpening of mower blades can make them out of balance, which can harm the mower motor as it turns at high speeds.

For finer tools such as pruners and loppers, an oil stone or honing stone is what many gardeners use. I spend a bit more for a good quality hand file, such as with cut diamond or carbon surface, to make the job go much better and more quickly.

Tools with wood handles

Many tools now have plastic handles, but if you have one with wood, treat it as well for longest life. Rub wooden handles with a rag, slightly moistened with linseed oil or other wood protection oil product.

You can also paint the wood handles for small and large tools to make them easier to locate when left behind in your garden beds!

Tool Storage

Once tools are cleaned and sharpened, store them properly in a closet, garage, or shed out of the weather. Keeping them off the floor helps prevent any moisture and rust, and dulling. I like to hang mine by the handles. If straight handles, I hang upside down with ten-penny nails used to hold the tool itself. When buying new tools consider stainless steel ones, if available, that are easier to keep clean.

Module #21: Pruning Resources - Books, Classes, Arborists

This last module is a compilation of recommendations from our Etobicoke Hort members for Pruning Books, Classes and Professional Services. This module will be updated regularly as new member recommendations are submitted.

Check back often!

Pruning Books