Garden Tips Newsletter
General Pruning Guidelines
March 2, 2009
Have a good reason before pruning any ornamental plant. Having a new power tool is really not a good reason. I totally agree with Dr. Gerald Klingaman, Professor Emeritus of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas who says, “The most important aspect of pruning is plant selection. If a plant with the perfect size and shape is placed where it can grow unmolested, the landscape not only looks better, but pruning almost becomes a non-issue.”
Of course, there are landscape situations where shearing of formal hedges, parterre gardens, topiaries, or espaliered plants is required to maintain the effect. Also regular pruning is required for good fruit production of grapes, muscadines, apples, peaches and other fruits.
When you have decided that pruning is needed for one of the reasons listed below, be careful not to over prune. While some plants tolerate heavy pruning, many do not. A good rule of thumb is to remove no more than one-fourth of a plant at one time and not more than one-third during one year.
So, if a plant is over grown or hasn’t been trained properly, prune it over a period of three years rather than all at once. Otherwise, it may have a hard time recovering. All rules have exceptions. The exception is rejuvenation pruning of overgrown broadleaf evergreen and deciduous shrubs, which is cutting the entire plant at or near the ground. This is a perfectly acceptable pruning technique used to gain control of overgrown broadleaf evergreens and deciduous plants in neglected landscapes.
Reasons for pruning:
- Maintain or achieve desired shape or structure (aesthetics or proportion)
- Remove diseased, dead, or damaged parts (maintain health of plant)
- Stimulate flowering or fruit production
- Control plant size—really not a good reason. Remove the plant and replace with one more suited in size to the location.
Time of pruning: Prune after landscape feature of plant has passed.
- Spring- or winter-flowering plants: after bloom
- Summer-flowering plants: during the dormant period (late winter) or in early spring
- Evergreen shrubs: in late winter or early spring before new growth appears: narrowleaf (conifers) and broadleaf
Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes Garden Tips weekly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.