It pays to prune your shrubs every once in a while. The right cut promotes flowering, growth habit and vitality. The timing is just as important as the incision. This tutorial sums up everything you need to know about the perfect pruning of your garden shrubs. Read here when and how to skilfully prune flowering, evergreen and climbing shrubs.

Regular pruning promotes flowering and/or fruit

Table of Contents

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  1. Cut spring bloomers
  2. Cut summer bloomers
  3. Prune evergreen shrubs
  4. taper cut
  5. Cut coniferous bushes
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. Prune spring flowering shrubs after flowering

    When spring-flowering shrubs unfurl their buds, the cold season is finally over. The most beautiful types and varieties delight with long-lasting flowering periods, decorative foliage colors and/or attractive fruit decorations in autumn.

    Spring bloomers already have the flower buds for the Color Festival created in the previous year, like the wonderful forsythia, picturesque lilac and spectacular bridal spars. In order not to destroy the valuable flowering plants, cut these shrubs first after flowering. The direction of the cut and the extent of the cut depend on whether the flowering splendor unfolds on short-lived, one- to two-year-old or long-lived shoots. The following table names popular spring bloomers and distinguishes between short-lived and perennial blossoms. You can read more detailed explanations of the expert cut below the table.

    Inflorescences on short-lived shoots Inflorescences on perennial wood
    Spring Spire, Bride Spire (Spiraea thunbergii and others) Serviceberry (Amelanchier lamarckii)
    Broom broom, dyer's broom (Cytisus species) Alpine Clematis, Mountain Clematis (Clematis species)
    Ornamental raspberry (Rubus species) Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida, Cornus cousa)
    Forsythia, Goldbells (Forsythia) Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
    Mayflower bush (Deutzia) Mock-up Orange, Peasant Jasmine (Philadelphus coronarius)
    Weigela (Weigelia) Barberry, sour thorn (Berberis)
    Shrub Peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) Ornamental cherries (Prunus species)
    Honeysuckle (Lonicera) Azalea (Rhododendron species)

    Some popular spring bloomers should not be pruned, or only pruned very little. These include witch hazel (Hamamelis), magnolia (Magnolia), spindle (Euonymus alatus) or cornel (Cornus mas). This does not mean that using scissors and saws is completely taboo. You can easily trim unfavorable branches or dead wood.

    Spring bloomers on short-lived shoots - how to cut properly

    The rule of thumb for spring-flowering shrubs in this category is: the younger the shoots, the more lush the flowers. As illustrated in the figure below, carries thorough thinning decisive for the promotion of young blossom wood. Thin out lower shoots that have already flowered twice at the base. No shoot should be older than 3 years if you want an opulent spring bloom. How to cut correctly:

    • Prune faded flowers back to the next pair of leaves or a lower branch
    • Thin out the bottom shoots at the base that have already borne flowers two or three times
    • Do not cut this year's young shoots (recognizable by the light, soft wood).
    • Overhanging, strongly branched shoot tips lead to a lower, outward-facing side shoot

    The perfect pruning of shrubs in this category is aimed at a continuous rejuvenation. If you remove older bottom shoots, there should already be an appropriate number of young shoots. Young wood can usually be recognized by its unbranched growth, light-colored bark and noticeably softer structure. At the time of cutting, the shoots are still growing and are not pruned.

    When spring bloomers bloom best on short-lived, one- to two-year-old wood, cut off at least a quarter of the older shoots to ground level after flowering. Do not leave any shoots that are more than 3 years old.

    Pruning spring flowers a little on old wood - this is how you do it right

    When shrubs start their spring blooms on perennial wood put on, the scissors just come Rare for use. Service pear, alpine clematis, lilac and barberry bloom tirelessly, even if you don't have your scissors ready every year. How to prune shrubs that are letting their spring blooms shine on perennial shoots:

    • After the flowering period: clean out wilted flowers (snip off azaleas with your fingers)
    • Shrubs with autumn fruit not clean up
    • Shoots that hang out of the shrub shape or are too long can be slimmed down by a derivation cut
    • Deadwood, weak, frozen and inwardly directed branches thin out in February

    Shrubs in this category will also benefit from one continuous rejuvenation - of course in a slimmed down form. Select the oldest or weakest ground shoot each late winter. Cut the branch off at the base to make room for a replacement young skeleton shoot.

    When spring bloomers bear their buds on perennial wood, annual pruning is limited to trimming the bushes after flowering. This applies to all flower beauties that do without spectacular fruit decorations in autumn or produce poisonous berries, such as this lilac bush.

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    Divert long, heavily branched shoots instead of shortening them

    The derivative cut is one of the fundamental basic techniques when cutting shrubs. If you master this cutting technique, you will never again struggle with unsightly gaps after a pruning. To prune a shoot that is too long or heavily branched at the top, look for a side shoot positioned further down. This side shoot should be strong and vital and should be directed outwards. Put the scissors on where old and young wood fork. The previously subordinate side shoot now takes over the leading position without the interface being recognizable as a gap. The figure below shows how to do it correctly.

    The perfect derivation cut is made where old, worn-out and young wood fork on the shoot.

    Prune summer flowering shrubs in February

    Summer flowering shrubs shine in all their glory this year's shootsthat spring from a stable, enduring framework. This property allows for a never-ending flowering period and makes pruning easy for the gardener. Floral high-carat in this category are summer lilac (Buddleja davidii), garden marshmallow (Hibiscus syriacus), summer spiky (Spiraea japonica) and panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) as well as snowball hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens). This is how you properly trim your summer flowering ornamental trees:

    • The best time is in late winter (January to early March)
    • First remove all dead, weak, criss-crossed and inward-growing branches
    • Cut back faded shoots from the previous year by half or a third
    • For optimal abundance of flowers, shorten all previous year's shoots to a few centimeters above the base of the main branch

    In the first few years, you build up a species-specific framework consisting of 3 to 7 (buddleia and hibiscus) or 10 to 15 (spiraea) lower shoots. To keep this framework young and vital, thin out some of the oldest shoots on the ground every year and train young shoots to form new frameworks.

    Shrubs that bloom in summer, such as this summer lilac, are cut back vigorously in February. Prune the previous year's faded shoots to 5 centimeters above the base of the scaffold shoot. For a more moderate pruning, prune the shrub by a third or half.

    Special case roses - Cut bed and shrub roses twice a year

    When it comes to cutting care, the queen of flowers insists on special treatment. As a result, many private rose gardeners are plagued by doubts and cut the noble flowering shrubs too hesitantly. The result is long-legged rose bushes that are bare at the bottom and have few flowers at the tips of the branches. Your bed and shrub roses can do this better if you give them a courageous cut pave the way in spring. How to do it:

    • Best time for the Rose main cut is currently the forsythia blossom (early March to early April)
    • Cut off old and heavily woody shoots at the base
    • Leave 3 or 4 of the most vital shoots on weakly growing rose bushes
    • Thin out strong-growing rose bushes except for 5 or 6 base shoots that are worth preserving
    • Cut back the remaining shoots down to 20 cm or 4 eyes

    Your rose bushes will get after that first bloom a Rose grooming cut. Depending on the type of rose, cut off wilted flower heads over the next healthy leaf in June/July and again in September/October. Primarily reblooming bed and shrub roses depend on repeated pruning. Once rose hips have formed, your rose bushes rigorously refuse further blooms and can only be persuaded to have a weak second bloom in autumn.

    The forsythia blossom gives the starting signal for the main cut on rose bushes. Thin out dead wood and weak shoots. 3 to 4 shoots remain on slow-growing roses and 5 to 6 on fast-growing roses. Shorten these vigorously down to 4 buds

    Prune evergreen deciduous shrubs infrequently

    Evergreen deciduous trees wear their foliage at any time of the year. High priests of creative garden design advocate choosing at least one fifth of all shrubs from evergreen species, so that the winter garden does not look completely empty. If the green basic chord is not enough for your appearance, you can reach for rhododendrons, whose magnificent flowers sparkle like precious stones above the evergreen foliage in spring. Yellow flowers glow in the shade in April and May, the evergreen mahonia performs its floral masterpiece. Holly follow their unassuming spring blooms with bright red fruit displays in winter.

    Evergreen deciduous shrubs are popular with gardening novices because they are easy to prune. This also applies to classic hedge shrubs that stand out as evergreen soloists, such as boxwood, snowball laurel (viburnum) and cherry laurel. Note these pruning measures in the care program of your evergreen deciduous shrubs:

    • Rule of thumb: rarely cut evergreen shrubs, only when necessary
    • Best time to thin out dead wood and cut frozen branches: February to early March
    • Best time for moderate pruning of individual shoots: end of June (St. John's Day) to mid/end of July
    • Transfer shoots that are too long, protruding from the shape or bare to a young side shoot
    • Pull out wilted flowers on rhododendrons by hand

    When pruning overly long branches on evergreen shrubs, please leave 2 cm long cones stand. The cones make a valuable contribution to new growth. In particular, sluggish rhododendrons benefit from this pruning technique. But even a cherry laurel as a solitary bush will sprout diligently if you cut the cones. The figure below uses the example of an evergreen laurel viburnum to illustrate what is important when it comes to caring for the cut.

    In February or June, divert branches that are too long to a young side shoot. A short spigot optimizes new growth. In late winter, remove dead wood down to short cones as well.

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    A separate tutorial is dedicated to trimming hedges. When flowering, deciduous or evergreen shrubs gather to form a green wall, special pruning is required. You cut a formal hedge more often than a free-growing natural hedge. You can read here what you should pay attention to when cutting hedges as privacy screens, bed borders and enclosures.

    Complete a rejuvenation cut in winter - this is how you turn back time

    If deciduous shrubs are not pruned or pruned for many years, they will age. The once magnificent flowering and ornamental trees have degenerated into an unsightly undergrowth of many old and few young shoots. There is often no way for scissors and saws to cut through individual branches. Instead of clearing overgrown shrubs, turn the floral wheel of time with a rejuvenation pruning and try to rebuild. The prospects of success depend on the basic pruning tolerance of the plant species. The following overview summarizes general framework conditions for expert cutting:

    • The best time is during the leafless period between November and February
    • In the first step, thin out as much deadwood as possible
    • Prune shrubs that tolerate pruning back to knee height or ground level
    • Rejuvenate pruning-sensitive shrubs in stages: rejuvenate a quarter of the shoots every winter

    Various types of wood are not suitable for a rejuvenation cut. This includes magnolias, farmer's hydrangeas, flower dogwoods, witch hazel and other shrubs that naturally do not tolerate pruning well. Before you prune shrubs radically or put them on the stick, please ask your trusted tree nursery.

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    A winter rejuvenation cut respects the summer grace period

    For many decades, the pitiful chirping of birds from bushes and hedges was drowned out by the din of hedge trimmers in summer. The weeks before and after St. John's Day at the end of June were considered the traditional time for pruning trees. The increasing awareness of the local wildlife in general and endangered breeding birds in particular caused a rigorous rethinking. This finds expression in the Federal Nature Conservation Act. Paragraph 39 stipulates a ban on cutting hedges and trees between March 1st and September 30th. Light maintenance pruning is permitted if it is guaranteed that there are no nesting birds in the wood. Radical pruning measures such as pruning and putting on the stick may be carried out from October 1st to February 28th, provided that there are no feathered or fur-bearing winter guests in the hedge, treetop or bush.

    How to properly prune coniferous shrubs

    Conifers thrive as evergreen shrubs with dense needles. Unlike evergreen deciduous shrubs, needled shrubs do not respond well to pruning. The reason for the stubborn growth behavior is the lack of sleeping eyes. Beneath their green needles, conifers do not have dormant buds from which to sprout after vigorous pruning. Thuja, cypress or juniper bushes naturally develop a harmonious shape and can confidently do without pruning measures. If cheeky shoots disturb the well-groomed appearance or if dead wood spreads inside the bush, you can remedy the problem as follows:

    • Rule of thumb for pruning conifers: always cut in the green shoot area
    • The best time is between January and early March on a frost-free day
    • Direct shoots that are too long in the needled area to short side shoots inside the bush
    • Only thin out dead wood if there is no bare spot or brown gap

    Coniferous shrubs that have grown too large cannot be radically reduced by pruning measures. In this case, you should exchange the conifers for a younger species that is naturally short in stature. A rejuvenation cut on conifers inevitably results in the total loss of the shrubs.

    Exception: Yew convinces with its good-natured tolerance to cutting

    Notable exceptions when it comes to pruning are yews (Taxus). All species are adaptable and tolerate a cut into old wood if the measure is unavoidable. The densely needled conifer is popular among home gardeners for the evergreen bed edging or year-round privacy hedge. Without a regular topiary, the yew develops into a multi-stemmed shrub that reaches a majestic 10 to 15 meters in height. In the small garden, slender columnar yews are useful as decorative solitary shrubs or elegant hedges. However, the yew is highly poisonous and not suitable for the family garden.

    Irrespective of a good-natured pruning tolerance, an annual maintenance pruning of yew trees is not necessary.If individual, overly long shoots protrude from the bushes, a derivation cut solves the aesthetic problem. Yew bushes that have become too large can be rejuvenated and reduced in stages over several years. Best pruning time is in February. Cut back a quarter of the longest branches to short cones. Thick branches lead you to a young, short side shoot.

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    The right tools make cutting shrubs a successful project

    Some of the loveliest shrubs, like the wonderful lilac, hide their hard, stubborn wood with furious blooms. However, evergreen shrubs such as boxwood and deciduous hornbeam are also classified as hardwoods. For the perfect cut quality scissors and saws in brand quality is just as important as the cut itself. This also applies to softwood shrubs, whose shoots are crushed by inferior blades and offer pathogens an open flank. Basic equipment is recommended: one-handed scissors (up to 1.5 cm thick), one-handed pruning shears with ratchet gear (up to 3 cm thick), two-handed pruning shears (up to 4 cm thick) and a folding saw (€17.70) or hacksaw for the really thick branches.

    frequently asked Questions

    I would like to create a natural garden. Which shrubs are best suited as bird feeders?

    Native wild trees are a paradise for birds and insects. The shrubs adorn the garden with their magnificent abundance of flowers, a dense robe of foliage and bright berries. We recommend hawthorn (Crataegus prunifolia), wild pear (Pyrus communis), black elder (Sambucus nigra), cornel (Cornus mas), sloe (Prunus spinosa) and pear (Amelanchier lamarckii). We would like to recommend wild roses, such as the sand rose (Rosa carolina) and the dog rose (Rosa canina). The shrubs bloom tirelessly from summer to the first frost and provide native bird species with nutritious rose hips, a valuable source of food.

    The harsh winter this year has left many of my shrubs in the garden with frost damage. What can I do?

    Wait until early/mid-May. After the ice saints, you can clearly see the extent of the frost damage. Prune affected shrubs back to healthy wood. You can easily determine the transition from frozen to vital wood. Scrape off a little bark with your fingernail or knife. Frozen wood can be identified as brown, dark tissue. You can recognize healthy wood by its fresh green color and juicy consistency.

    I would like to plant the beautiful flower balls of hydrangeas in my garden. Which hydrangea bushes remain decorative and vital without annual pruning?

    Farmhouse hydrangeas beautify the garden with nostalgic blooms without having to trim the bushes. On the contrary, Hydrangea macrophylla and the varieties derived from it are extremely sensitive to cutting. Already in the previous year they put on the flower buds for the coming year, so that a pruning in late winter is not advisable. Pruning is limited to trimming wilted flower heads to make room for the buds underneath. Continuous regeneration is recommended. From the fourth year, the oldest shoots should be removed in exchange for young shoots.

    Are groundcover shrubs to be pruned the same way as upright shrubs?

    The most popular shrubs with creeping shoots are ivy (Hedera hexlix), fat man (Pachysandra terminalis) and the resilient medlar (Cotoneaster dammeri). It is up to your individual assessment whether and to what extent you cut the ground cover. In any case, it is advantageous for strong branching and a dense foliage if you shorten overly long tendrils by a third or half in late winter. This ensures that your ground cover shrubs cover the ground with opaque greenery and reliably suppress annoying weeds.

    The 3 most common cutting mistakes

    If shrubs keep their flowers under lock and key, conifers are disfigured with brown gaps or ornamental trees are aging prematurely in their prime, they have fallen victim to a pruning error. So that you don't make any mistakes when trimming garden shrubs, the following table lists the 3 most common pruning errors with damage and gives tips for prevention.

    cutting error damage picture prevention
    wrong cutting time loss of flowering Prune spring bloomers after flowering, summer bloomers in February
    Conifer cut into the old wood brown gaps that no longer close Always cut coniferous shrubs in the needled shoot area
    never cleared Shrubs bare from inside and below, aging prematurely remove dead wood from all shrubs regularly
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    tips

    When you transplant shrubs in the garden, a large part of the root volume is lost. Most species and varieties cope better with the loss if you cut back all shoots by at least one third to a maximum of two thirds. Shrubs that are already sensitive to cutting should not be bothered with the scissors in this case either. These include farmer's hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla), rhododendrons and azaleas (Rhododendron species).

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