Spring is in the air and its time to get your shrubs ready for the growing season.
The three main objectives for winter and early spring shrub pruning are to:
1) Thins excess or unsightly branching
2) Reduce overall height or to promote compactness
3) Rejuvenate multi-stem shrubs with too many old branches by cutting all stems
to a height of 3-6″.
A general rule of thumb: Do not trim spring flowering shrubs until after flowering is complete. If needed, you can go ahead and trim without injury to the shrub but the spring flower display may be greatly reduced for this spring season. Examples of shrubs in this category are Forsythia, Lilac and Mock Orange. Spireas which flower in the summer should be trimmed to a height of 3″-6″ every two to three years to reshape the shrub, remove any winter dieback and promote dense branching.
Red Twig Dogwood, Variegated Dogwood and Purple Leaf Plum also can benefit from an occasional sever pruning since these varieties can lanky growth patterns. Barberries can also withstand and benefit from an occasional hard pruning to reduce their size and promote compactness.
