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Friday, April 8, 2011



Pruning tips to maintain your curb appeal

Know when to prune in your garden to maintain healthy, good-looking and long-lasting plants.

By Kathleen Huddy of Good Housekeeping
Pruning tips to maintain your curb appeal (© Jack Hollingsworth/Corbis)
© Jack Hollingsworth/Corbis

Although the type of pruner can make a gardener's life easier, when to prune is just as important in creating a vibrant, colorful garden.
The Good Housekeeping Research Institute acquired gardening tips from the experts: horticulturalists, gardening associations and master gardeners. Here is a simple guide for when to prune in your garden to create healthy, good-looking and long-lasting plants, according to Susan Gruber, Briggs & Stratton Yard Smarts horticulturalist:
Early spring (March-April)
Plant type:
Ornamental grasses.
Task: Cut as close to the ground as possible.
Tip: Tying the tops before cutting makes the job fast and easy.


Plant type: Semiwoody perennials (butterfly bush, Russian sage).
Task: Cut back to about 4 inches to produce strong new stems and the best flower display.
Tip: May be cut back any time during the winter.

Plant type: Broad-leaved evergreens (boxwood, holly firethorn).
Task: Prune out stems with winter-injured foliage.
Tip: Wait until later in the spring to shear or hedge the plant so new growth will cover cut tips quickly.

Plant type: Summer-flowering trees, shrubs and vines; hydrangeas and roses.
Task: Remove dead, damaged or crowded stems; shape or reduce size if desired.
Tip: Summer flower buds develop on new growth. Spring fertilization and adequate moisture in the summer will maximize the number and size of summer blooms. 

Spring/early summer (May-June)
Plant type:
Spring-flowering shrubs (forsythias, rhododendrons, lilacs).
Task: Prune for shaping or size control following the "prune after flowering" rule. These plants form buds for next year's flowers during the summer. Pruning after midsummer will cut off flower buds.
Tip: Deadheading — remove fading flowers — benefits plants such as rhododendrons and lilacs by preventing seed formation and directing growth into flower buds for next spring. Thinning multistemmed shrubs by removing several of the oldest stems each year will maintain size and keep plants blooming vigorously on new stems. If any of these plants are overgrown, cut down to 3 or 4 inches for a fresh start. This technique, called "rejuvenation," is a drastic procedure for problem plants growing too vigorously in full sun and is not for the timid gardener.

Plant type: Evergreen shrubs (yews, junipers, boxwoods).
Task: Hedging and shaping if desired or thinning to reduce size.
Tip: Cut just as growth begins so new growth covers cut tips. Each job should include some inner thinning of the bush to ensure the outside layer of foliage doesn't become very thick, resulting in a thin shell of dense foliage that is attractive to insects.


Midsummer/fall (July-November)
Plant type:
Flowering perennials and annuals.Task: Deadheading extends flowering or promotes a second flush of flowers. After the frost in your area, when perennials and annuals have died, cut them down and mulch the area well for next year's growth.
Tip: Do not deadhead if dried flowers or seeds are attractive or desirable for propagation. During this time, woody plants will not produce callus, the tissue that covers pruning wounds. Fungal spores, bacteria and insects are all abundant and can find a foothold in an open wound.
Winter (December-February)
Plant type:
Deciduous and evergreen trees, crab apples and other pest-prone plants.
Task: Remove any dead, damaged or hazardous limbs. Prune limbs that interfere with walkways and structures. Remove crossed or rubbing limbs. Prune out suckers.
Tip: Winter is a great time to prune; insect and disease pressure is minimized and the plant architecture is visible.

Steve Hutton, president of Conard-Pyle Co., a plant wholesaler based in West Grove, Pa., offers some simple advice on pruning roses.

When forsythia just starts to bloom is the time to prune back the canes of your conventional garden roses such as hybrid teas, grandifloras and floribundas. In most cases, they should be cut leaving no more than 12 inches of the old canes. Also prune out any light, twiggy growth from the base of the plant. This creates a stronger plant with lots of blooms from the first flush of spring."
Raymond Evison, renowned clematis breeder, says that twisting and holding the clematis like a ponytail helps make pruning of the plant easier and faster.

On a busy schedule and want to be reminded when to prune specific plants?
The website gardening123.com allows you to customize your plant care. By creating a free account, you will receive personalized plant-care information based on your geographic area. In addition, your account will allow you to:
  • Create a personalized journal of the plants you grow.
  • Receive monthly care reminders for your plants.
  • Create your own garden designs.
  • Receive monthly e-mail newsletters with seasonal tips.
It takes time to enter all the plants in your garden, but then you are ready to go.