Posted: June 15, 2022
Interested in general information on pruning your trees, check out this article by Master Gardener, Pam Rose
Late winter is the best time to prune your trees and shrubs, when insects and diseases are not yet active and it is easier to see the branching structure of the plant. Late summer and fall pruning are not recommended as new growth at that time of year is subject to winter injury. If you have a spring flowering shrub or tree such as azalea, ninebark, lilac, rhododendron, viburnum, forsythia and some hydrangeas, and maximum bloom is important to you, you may want to wait until after flowering to prune. For multi-stemmed shrubs, if the purpose of pruning is to maintain a desired size or to rejuvenate an older plant, then it is best to thin out large, older stems. It is also a good idea to prune branches that are dead, are crossing, or have weak branch unions. Thinning cuts remove stems or branches at their point of origin, while heading cuts shorten them. Thinning cuts are preferable because they open up the shrub or tree to sunlight and air circulation and promote a more attractive form.
Most importantly, never top your trees! Topping, the cutting of all upper branches with heading cuts, leads to a weak, dense crown and often results in the slow decline and ultimate death of the tree.
