Some shrubs need pruning but why, when and how to prune?
Why prune ?
Pruning allows you to put your shrubs back in shape and to limit the space occupied by them. In small gardens, it is sometimes necessary to be able to control the expansion of its plantations.
Pruning increases the branching of shrubs by causing new branches to appear under the cut and often improves flowering.
When should we prune?
Shrubs should be pruned at the end of winter, in February or March after heavy frosts, except for winter or spring flowering shrubs for which we will wait until the end of flowering. It would be a shame not to take advantage of them, especially since they have been chosen for their flowers.
For example, for spring or winter flowering shrubs, we can mention the laurel, the forsythia, the flowering currant, the Japanese quince, the Japanese cortea, the spring spirea...
Other shrubs do not need pruning or even would not tolerate it like the rhododendron, the azalea, the magnolia, the camellia or the skimmia. You can however remove the faded flowers.
How to prune?
For maintenance pruning, we distinguish evergreen shrubs from deciduous shrubs.
For deciduous shrubs such as hydrangea, lilac or seringat :
- Remove dead or diseased branches and frost-burned branches.
- Cut back unsightly branches
- Cut off wilted flowers to prevent unnecessary fruit production
- Cut the oldest branches at 5 cm from the ground to aerate your shrub and allow light to penetrate inside
- Do a rejuvenation pruning
You can do a rejuvenation pruning every 3 or 4 years by cutting them back severely.
For evergreen shrubs such as laurel, cedar or yew:
- Remove dead or diseased branches and frost-burned branches.
- Cut back unsightly branches
- Prune for shape
