How, when and why to prune your shrubs?

Oct 20, 2024

Comment, quand et pourquoi tailler vos arbustes ?

Pruning is an essential gardening task that plays a crucial role in maintaining the health and beauty of your garden. Understanding the basics of pruning can seem intimidating, but it's essential to promote healthy growth, improve the appearance of your plants, and ensure your garden thrives throughout the seasons.

Pruning isn't just about cutting branches; it also involves knowing when and how to make cuts to get the most out of your shrubs. Whether you want to give your shrubs neat, attractive shapes or encourage an explosion of flowers and fruit, good pruning techniques can make all the difference.

Learning the basic principles and techniques will give you the confidence to prune your shrubs effectively, keeping your garden looking its best all year round.

WHY PRUNING SHRUBS 🌿✂️

There are 5 main reasons to prune your shrubs:

Encourage healthy growth 🌱
Pruning removes dead or diseased branches, which helps the shrub focus its energy on vigorous, healthy growth.
Shape the plant 🌳
By pruning regularly, you can maintain the desired shape and size of the shrub, improving the overall aesthetic of your garden.
Increase flowering and fruit production 🍇🌸
Properly done pruning promotes better flowering and fruit production, because it allows more light and air to penetrate inside the plant.
Prevent clutter 🍂
By thinning branches you avoid crowding, which improves air circulation and reduces the risk of disease.
Eliminate potential dangers ⚠️
Trimming overgrown branches helps prevent them from becoming obstacles or interfering with walkways or surrounding structures.

WHEN TO PRUNE SHRUBS 🗓️✂️

Knowing when to prune your shrubs is essential for their health and productivity. Pruning at the right time avoids removing flower buds or stressing the plant, which promotes better growth and more abundant blooms. Here are some general tips:

Spring flowering shrubs 🌸
These shrubs form their buds in summer and autumn and flower on the previous year's wood. It is therefore important to prune them immediately after flowering to avoid cutting the buds for the following year. Examples include lilacs and forsythias.
Summer flowering shrubs 🌻
These shrubs develop their buds and flower on new spring growth. It is advisable to prune them in late winter or early spring, before new growth begins, to encourage abundant flowering. Hydrangeas and buddleias (butterfly trees) belong to this category.
Evergreen shrubs 🌿
Evergreen shrubs, such as boxwoods and hollies, can be pruned in spring, as soon as new growth begins.
General recommendations ⚠️
Avoid pruning in the fall, especially in cold climates, as this may stimulate new growth that will not harden off sufficiently before winter, making the plant vulnerable to cold damage.

HOW TO PRUNE SHRUBS 🌿✂️

Here are the essential steps to properly prune your shrubs and ensure their health and development:

Gather your tools 🧰
Use sharp pruners for small branches, loppers for medium branches, and a pruning saw for thick branches. Clean your tools with disinfectant before and after use to prevent the spread of disease.
Rate the shrub 👀
Inspect the shrub for signs of disease, damage, dead branches or crowding. Determine the pruning methods that will achieve your goals (shape, health, flowering).
Identify the branches to remove 🔍
Start by removing dead or diseased branches, then branches that cross or rub against each other. Thin out areas that are too thin or lanky to encourage more vigorous growth.
Make correct cuts ✂️
Use clean, sharp tools to make clean cuts in the right places and at the right angle. Choose the appropriate pruning technique: thinning, shortening, rejuvenating, pinching or removing faded flowers.
Post-pruning care 🌱
Remove all cut branches and leaves from around the shrub to prevent the spread of diseases and pests. Water the shrub generously and apply a layer of mulch. Monitor the shrub for signs of stress or disease and prune again if necessary.

TYPES OF WAIST CUTS 🌿✂️

Here are the basic pruning techniques every gardener should know:

Thinning 🍃
This technique involves removing entire branches down to the main stem or ground level. Make the cut just outside the branch collar (the enlarged part where it joins another branch or trunk, which contains specialized cells to seal the wound). Thinning improves air circulation, reduces crowding and encourages new growth from the base.
Shortening ✂️
This involves cutting part of a branch just above a bud. Cut at a slight angle above the bud, taking into account the direction of the bud, as this is the direction the new branch will grow. This technique strengthens the structure of the plant by stimulating the development of buds into new branches.
Rejuvenation size 🌿
This pruning involves cutting the entire shrub or the oldest branches at a height of 15 to 60 cm above the ground (depending on the plant). Make clean, angled cuts to prevent water from pooling on the cut. Also called severe pruning, it revitalizes neglected or overgrown shrubs and promotes vigorous new growth from the base.
Pinch 🤲
Remove branch tips by pinching or cutting off tender new growth with fingers or shears. This encourages denser, bushier growth, especially in young shrubs.
Removal of faded flowers (Deadheading) 🌼
Remove spent flowers by cutting or pinching off the dried flowers just above the first set of healthy leaves. This stimulates the production of new flowers by preventing the plant from devoting its energy to producing seeds.

COMBINE SIZE OBJECTIVES WITH TECHNIQUES ✂️🌿

As Steve Bradley, author of The Pruner's Bible explains, "Properly pruning plants is not so much about knowing how and where to cut, but knowing what you want to accomplish." Knowing your goals will help you choose the most suitable pruning technique.

To encourage healthy growth 🌱

Main technique: Thinning
Why: Removes dead or diseased branches, improves air circulation.
Secondary technique: Shortening
Why: Stimulates growth from remaining buds.

To shape the plant 🌳

Main technique: Shortening
Why: Directs growth and creates a more compact and dense shape.
Secondary technique: Pinch
Why: Encourages bushier growth, especially in young shrubs.

To increase flowering and fruit production 🍇🌸

Main technique: Thinning
Why: Allows more light and air to penetrate inside the plant.
Secondary technique: Removal of wilted flowers (Deadheading)
Why: Encourages the production of new flowers rather than seeds.

To prevent clutter 🍂

Main technique: Thinning
Why: Reduces density and improves overall structure.
Secondary technique: Shortening
Why: Helps control size and direct growth away from crowded areas.

To eliminate dangers ⚠️

Main technique: Thinning
Why: Completely removes problematic branches.
Secondary technique: Shortening
Why: Can redirect growth away from walkways or structures.

To rejuvenate old or overgrown shrubs 🌿

Main technique: Rejuvenation pruning
Why: Stimulates vigorous new growth from the base.
Secondary technique: Thinning
Why: Can be used for gradual rejuvenation over several seasons.

Don't be afraid to start small and experiment with these techniques on less visible shrubs to build your confidence. Observe how your shrubs react and adjust your methods accordingly. Mistakes are learning opportunities! As you practice, you will develop the skills needed to keep your shrubs healthy and beautiful.