Brecksville's Handy Homeowner: How and When to Prune your Shrubs

I used to own a gardening business, so friends sometimes ask me when they should cut their shrubs back. My standard answer is, “Whenever you have the tool and the desire to use it.” Although that rule of thumb is practical, and I follow it myself, it’s only part of the story.

I suppose the most important part is to have the right tools. Pruning, or hand shears can be used for smaller branches up to 3/4” in diameter. Larger branches will require long-handled lopping shears or a pruning saw. And manual or electric hedge shears are what you need to maintain a more formal shrub or hedgerow. I recommend buying high-quality tools for better performance and less hassle later on. , and even in Broadview Heights carry some of what you need for pruning your shrubs. There are also numerous landscaping companies in the area, like  in Brecksville, that will do it for you.

There is no easy answer to when or how to prune shrubs. What works with one may not with another. I found some excellent information on Petiti's Garden Center's website. Here are some of the tips that they give:

• A healthy shrub will benefit by removing one third of its size each year.
• When pruning shrubs, first remove damaged, dead, diseased or crossing branches, then remove long shoots that ruin the shape of the plant. To increase air and light penetration, remove one-third of the oldest branches  as well.
• Shearing individual shrubs leads to unnatural development of the shrub and reduced overall health.  Shearing should only be used for formal hedges, which should always be narrower at the top, and wider at the bottom.

Timing of pruning also depends on the type of shrubs you have. Some of them bloom on previous year’s growth and some bloom on this year’s growth. Our Ohio.org has an article with some advice on when to prune specific types of shrubs. Here are just a couple of the tips:

• Trees and shrubs that bloom before June 1, bloom on the previous year’s growth. They should be pruned immediately after they finish blooming. 
• Shrubs that bloom after June 1 should generally be cut back in late winter. 

This website also emphasizes pruning regularly to avoid overgrown plants. If your plants are overgrown, it's best to reduce their size over three years, instead of pruning them back all at once. Although it can take time, it will make for a more vigorous plant.

So you see, there really is no easy answer. And actually, the deer give many of my shrubs a hard trim all winter long anyhow.