Many of the plants we grow, including ornamental trees and shrubs, benefit from regular pruning. This helps keep the plants healthy, attractive and safe by removing dead or diseased branches and helping promote good air circulation around the plant and between trees or shrubs. Trees and shrubs may also need to be thinned to expose interesting growth patterns or to reduce storm damage if the wind blows through rather than against dense foliage, it is less likely to break limbs. They can also be sheared or pruned to form special shapes or for topiary work.
For most shade and ornamental trees, the best time to prune is winter the dormant season. This gives the plant the chance to heal quickly after trimming without being overwhelmed by growing buds or new leaves. However, some plants need to be pruned at different times of the year depending on their needs and bloom cycles.
Performing tree cutting service a hard prune on certain flowering or fruit-bearing trees and shrubs, like forsythias, rhododendrons and azaleas is best done in early spring before they start growing. This will ensure that the plants are ready to bloom again next year on fresh, new wood. This is the same for reblooming plants like Bloomerang lilacs, Sonic Bloom weigela and Bloom-A-Thon azaleas, which should be pruned right after they finish their first wave of flowers and before they begin setting their flower buds.
Some conifers can be pruned at any time of the year, but if the plant has already bloomed and is growing new foliage, it is best to wait until it goes dormant again in the fall. Pruning conifers too soon can cause them to weaken as the newly formed foliage will be unable to harden before the coming cold weather hits.
Many deciduous trees and shrubs can be pruned at any time of the season, although summer is often the preferred time for most landscapers and homeowners. This is because the trees are at their full size, making them easier to see and access with trimmers. However, this can also be a risky time to prune because the trees are at their most vulnerable as they enter dormancy in the fall and the following winter.
While it is important to properly prune any tree, regardless of the season, there are some things that should never be done. For instance, it is always a bad idea to prune a live branch that is in contact with another. This can lead to a number of problems, including but not limited to;