July 15, 2022

With so many different plants that all bloom at different times, it can be difficult to remember when and how to properly prune for optimal flowering. If you want to maximize your blooms and the health of your plants, pruning is important and can be a simple and successful way to keep your garden beautiful.

Lush plant hedge besides rose plant flowers taken in an elegant garden in a residential yard

What to Know About Seasonal Pruning

When the blossoms are done for the year, it’s time to prune. If you wait too long, you can damage the buds for next year’s flowers, but if you prune too soon, you won’t get the benefits of plant rejuvenation. Pruning at the wrong time or in the wrong way can result in big problems. The purpose of pruning is to stimulate plant growth, but pruning will also reduce plant resources. Therefore, you need to be careful about the amount of plant material you remove, as well as the techniques used and timing of the pruning.

Pruning Techniques

There are numerous pruning techniques. Some include heading, thinning, rejuvenating, pinching, shearing, snipping, raising or “limbing” up, topping, reducing, deadheading, dehorning, pollarding, and pruning for espalier. However, within all these varied pruning techniques, there are basically two types of pruning cuts: heading and thinning.

  • Heading is a cut back to an intermediate point.
  • Thinning cuts back to a point of origin.

Things to Consider When Pruning

When you are pruning, there are several variables to consider:

  • Purpose of Pruning

You need to understand what your desired results are and the purpose for your pruning. Are you trying to stimulate new growth? Are you pruning for aesthetics? Are there safety considerations? The purpose behind pruning can help you determine which techniques to use.

  • Which Plant You are Pruning

Before you start pruning, make sure you know the plant. You need to know both the pruning tolerance and the seasons the plant prefers for pruning. Certain plants will take to pruning better at different times of year, and certain plants respond better to different techniques. The species and variety of each plant also makes a difference. Bud, flower, and fruit cycles will help you determine the timing.

  • Weather and Resources During Pruning

The weather and resources are important to both you and the plant.

  • Plant Health

If your plant is struggling with pests or diseases, you need to verify if pruning will make the problem better or worse. Consider the cycle of the plant and make sure you are always keeping the health of the plant your top priority.

How to Recover from Pruning Mistakes

When done correctly, pruning will make your plants more attractive and stronger. However, incorrect pruning can create problems for your plant. Most pruning mistakes include pruning too much, pruning too little, pruning at the wrong time, and pruning with the wrong cut. Sometimes pruning mistakes simply require time to heal, but others will need professional help to find the right solution.

The Advantage of Working with a Landscaping Company

Pruning is much more complicated than simply snipping off a few flowers. You will need to have a different skill and technique for nearly every plant and you’ll need to consider different factors for each plant. Pruning isn’t always easy! When you work with a landscaping company, they can both advise you on your plant’s needs as well as take care of those needs for you to ensure that your plants are healthy, thriving, and beautiful all season.

Plant experts take a lot of time to perfect their craft. Pruning is both an art and a science, and requires a good deal of skill. To get the maximum benefit from pruning and to make sure that you are keeping your plants healthy, consider letting the professionals take care of you and your landscape! Twin Oaks Landscape offers landscape maintenance service to handle all of your lawn care needs, so call us today to learn more!