You will find that a great way to elevate your landscape is with a mixture of shrubs. You can choose between moderate to tall shrubs, these will help provide shade, soil stability, and add privacy. They are also great for adding colour and texture to your property. No matter if you pick deciduous or evergreen shrubs, they are very versatile for their uses. You can position them to flank entryways, anchoring landscape beds, or using them to hide unsightly areas, the possibilities are endless! But, with these amazing plants comes proper care requirements, including shrub trimming/pruning. It’s important to keep up with proper pruning practices, otherwise you might find your shrubs get out of hand quickly. Our team at Five Star Tree Services want to discuss when you should trim your shrubs.
Ideal Pruning Time for Shrubs
Different shrubs have different growth habits and blooming time. It’s important to know the right time to prune your shrubs for maximum benefits. If you prune or trim at the incorrect time, this can be detrimental for their health and increase the chance for problems like disease or insects. Here are a few shrubs and the best time to trim:
Forsythias: right after they flower
Weigela: a little in early spring. If additional trimming is required after this, do it after they bloom.
Potentillas: March and early April
Summer flowering deciduous shrubs: March and Early April
Non-flowering deciduous shrubs: February to March
Spring Flowering Shrub Pruning
As a general rule of thumb, any shrubs that flower in the spring like to be trimmed after all the blooms are gone. This allows you to be able to marvel over the beautiful floral display and also gives them the opportunity to produce new flower buds for the following year. The real reason to wait for after the bloom is because these shrubs typically flower on older wood. If you are looking for spring flowering shrubs that bloom before mid-June, here are some: lilac, azalea, wisteria, ninebark, viburnum, and forsythia.
Avoid trimming these shrubs that have already grown new shoots. You can trim them immediately after they have finished flowering and before new shoots have grown, if you must trim in the summer.
Summer Flowering Shrub Pruning
For summer flowering shrubs, the best time to trim them is in late winter, as this is before any growth happens. The reason you want to do this is because these shrubs tend to bloom on new wood. Making it so that the flower buds will be on the current season’s growth, not the older wood. If you are looking for summer flowering shrubs, these include: hydrangea, butterfly bushes, spirea, and hibiscus.
Avoid trimming these shrubs before they have flowered. Wait until after they have finished flowering if you must trim in the summer.
Non-Flowering Shrubs
These shrubs can be trimmed anytime, spring, summer, fall, winter. You can shape them, trim to reduce size, or just a little aesthetic haircut. Just remember that regrowth is a slow process when it is hot, dry, and in stressful conditions.
How Five Star Tree Services Can Help
Pruning can be an art form. Whenever you prune, remember to remove old flowers, cut away any damaged, dead, or diseased branches. If you want assistance with your shrub trimming in Toronto, make sure to give our team at Five Star Tree Services a call at (416) 990-3355!
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