When Should I Trim My Shrub and Bushes?

Some of the best ways to keep up with your landscaping is to invest time into shrub trimming and pruning. If you are new to landscaping and gardening, you might want to grab your trimming tools and jump right into the trimming process. Everyone wants a shrub or bush that looks healthy and beautiful, but it’s important to know when you should trim and prune your shrubbery before you jump right into it. Let’s take a deeper look at what trimming and pruning entail, and what time of the year these processes are best for.

Trimming

Trimming is the process of cleaning up the appearance of shrubs or bushes for aesthetic purposes. Shrub trimming is perfect for removing overgrown branches that might not fit with the desired shape of a shrub or bush, or removing parts that are obstructing a path. This not only helps the shrub look better, but it also can be important for keeping the shrub healthy. Excessive overgrowth can reduce the shrub’s ability to receive enough sunlight and moisture, and trimming can help solve this problem. Light shrub trimming is an effective solution for the general upkeep and landscaping.

When to Trim

Trimming once or twice a year is generally beneficial for most shrubs and bushes, and light shrub trimming or shaping can be done at almost any time of year. If you want to do a light trim, you can simply trim off any dead or damaged areas of your shrubs whenever they are visible. It is important, however, that you make sure these areas are dead. Sometimes a plant can look dead in early spring, but it could just be blooming later than expected, so make sure you wait before you decide to cut off bare areas of your shrub.

Pruning

Although it is very similar to shrub trimming, pruning tends to deal more with the plant’s health and overall safety. Pruning is the process of removing loose or dead branches to allow the shrub or bush’s leaves and branches to flourish. If light trimming doesn’t do the job, pruning is a good way to prevent shrubs and bushes from harming other plants or people. This process is not intended to hinder a plant’s growth, but rather restore and stimulate it by removing diseased, infested, or dead areas.

When to Prune

Since pruning tends to be a heavier job than small trims, it is important to know what time of year is best for this upkeep. Unlike shrub trimming, heavy pruning should be done depending on which type of shrub or bush you have. For flowering shrubs, it is best to prune them immediately after they bloom to prevent new buds from being accidentally removed. For non-blooming shrubs, pruning is recommended during late winter and early spring. In general, late winter is an ideal time for pruning. This time is best for most shrubs and bushes because without their leaves, the structure is more easily visible and you can easily decide where to cut. Another general rule of thumb for any shrub is to avoid pruning any time after mid-August. If you notice small damaged or diseased areas, however, you should do some light pruning to remove it.

Looking for Professional Trimming Services?

LTRC-Tree Specialists can help you with your shrub trimming and pruning needs, as well as other landscaping services including tree removal and tree planting. Our team is committed to helping our clients with their tree issues and land maintenance needs. Give us a call at (404) 288-5872 or visit our website to get a free estimate or to learn more about our services.