Shrubs have a variety of uses depending on their size. Small shrubs are perfect to establish design lines in formal gardens and for edging walks and plant beds. Shrubs in the medium size range are most useful for hedges, screening and background for large scale foundation plantings. Click here to view Walter Reeves' shrub pruning calendar.
Pruning is an important cultural practice for maintaining shrubs. There are several reasons for pruning. Sometimes you want to train or direct the growth of plants into a particular form or space. Or perhaps you want to prune mature plants to control their size and shape.
Most shrubs have a best and a less best time when they can be pruned. If you are not directly familiar with your shrubs, you may not know when one blooms and so might mistakenly prune it just before it flowers.
Download the pruning calendar to see the preferred times to prune your shrubbery. Remember, though, that pruning out-of-schedule may sometimes be necessary. If your shrub is overgrown, a winter pruning may be needed, even though flowering in the following year will be affected... Don’t worry: mistimed pruning is rarely the cause of plant death. You might remove flower buds or make a shrub less winter-hardy but these setbacks will not likely be fatal. Keep in mind that the chart indicates best times but does not mean you must prune.
Download the Shrub Pruning Calendar here.
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For more information, download "Basic Principles of Pruning Woody Plants" at http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/B949-W.html.
