Pruning your shrubs and trees at the right time during the year is essential for their health and aesthetic appeal. Properly timed and effective pruning encourages strong growth, promotes flowering, and helps to prevent diseases that may harm your valuable landscape. Whether you’re shaping your garden, boosting flower production, or removing dead branches, knowing the best pruning times for different species is crucial.
Created by our very own Terra Landscaping pruning specialist, this comprehensive list will guide you through the ideal times to prune various types of shrubs and trees. From spring-flowering favorites like lilacs and azaleas to late-summer bloomers like butterfly bushes, this blog will help you keep your landscape in tip top condition all year-round. Understanding when to prune each species not only helps maintain their health by redirecting the plant’s growth potential, but also ensures you’re not cutting away next season’s blossoms.
Enhance your garden’s beauty with this guide by improving your plant structures and encouraging healthier growth throughout the year. Whether you’re a homeowner looking to maintain your property or a professional landscaper, this resource will help you get the most out of your shrubs and trees. If you are looking for specific pruning tips your should check out our blog HERE which covers the essential pruning tips you need to know if you desire a beautiful landscape with thriving flora.
| Common Name Andromeda Anthony Waterer Aralia Azalea Barberry Beauty bush Birches Black jetbead Black Locust Boston Ivy Bottle brush buckeye Burkwood Viburnum Butterfly bush Chenault coralberry Chinese lilac Cinquefoils Climbing roses Common lilac Cornelian cherry Crabapple Cranberry cotoneaster Deutzia Doublefile Viburnum Elderberry European cranberrybush False Spirea Firethorn Flowering almond Flowering cherry Flowering currant Flowering plum Flowering quince Forsythia French lilac Frobel spirea Glossy Abelia Golden Chain Tree Goldenrain tree Goldflower Grape Grand-flora floribunda Hawthorn Hickories Honey Locust Honeysuckle Hybrid tea Japanese Kerria Japanese Pagoda Tree Japanese Pagoda Tree Kentucky Coffee Tree Korean spice Viburnum Kousa dogwood Laburnum Lindens Magnolia Magnolia Maples Mock Orange Mountain Ash Mountain laurel Multiflora cotoneaster Oregon hollygrape P.G. Hydrangea Annabelle Pea shrub Pearlbush Poplars Privet Red Osier dogwood Redbud Rhododendron Rose Weigela Rose-of-Sharon Serviceberries Shadblow Shrub roses Shrub-althea Smokebush Snowberry Snowhill Spreading cotoneaster Tamarisk Thunberg spirea Tulip Tree Vanhoutte spirea Virginia creeper Walnut Wayfaring tree Yellowwood |
Botanical Name Pieris Spirnea bumalda Acanthopanax Azalea Berberis Kolkwitzia amablis Betula spp. Rhodotypos scandens Robinia pseudoacacia Parthenocissus tricuspid. Aesculus parviflora Viburnum burkwoodii Buddleia Symphoricarpos chenaulti Syringa Potentilla fruiticosa Rosa Syringa Cornus mas Malus Cotoneaster apiculata Deutzia Viburnum plicatum tom. Sambucus Viburnum opulus Sorbaria Pyracantha Prunus Prunus Ribes odorata Prunus Chaenomeles Forsythia Syringa Spirnea bumalda Abelia grandiflora Laburnum spp. Koelreuteria paniculata Hypericum kalmianum Vitis spp. Rosa Crataegus Carya spp. Gleditsia spp. Lonicera Rosa Kerria japonica Sophora japonica Sophora japonica Gymnocladus dioicus Viburnum carlesii Cornus kousa Laburnum vossi Tilia spp. Magnolia Magnolia spp. Acer spp. Philadelphus Sorbus Kalmia latifolia Cotoneaster multiflora Mahonia aquifolium Hydrangea Caragana Exochorda Populus spp. Ligistrum Cornus stolonifera Cercis Rhododendron Weigela florida Hibiscus syriacus Amelanchier Amelanchier Rosa Hibiscus syriacus Cotnius coggyria Symphoricarpos albus Hydrangea Cotoneaster divaricata Tamarix Spiraea thunbergii Liriodendron tulipifera Spiraea vanhouttei Parthenocissus quinquefolia Juglans spp. Viburnum lantana Cladrastis luteus |
When it’s best to prune After spring flowering Before or after blooming Before spring growth After spring flowering After spring flowering After spring flowering Late summer or fall After spring flowering Late summer or fall Late summer or fall Before spring growth After spring flowering Before spring growth Before or after blooming After spring flowering Before spring growth After spring flowering After spring flowering After spring flowering After spring flowering Before or after blooming After spring flowering After spring flowering Before spring growth After spring flowering Before spring growth After spring flowering After spring flowering After spring flowering Before spring growth After spring flowering After spring flowering After spring flowering After spring flowering Before or after blooming Before spring growth Late summer or fall Before spring growth Before spring growth Late summer or fall Before spring growth After spring flowering Late summer or fall Late summer or fall After spring flowering Before spring growth Before spring growth Before spring growth Late summer or fall Late summer or fall After spring flowering After spring flowering After spring flowering Late summer or fall After spring flowering Late summer or fall Late summer or fall After spring flowering After spring flowering After spring flowering Before or after blooming Before or after blooming Before spring growth After spring flowering After spring flowering Late summer or fall After spring flowering Before or after blooming After spring flowering After spring flowering Before or after blooming Before spring growth After spring flowering After spring flowering After spring flowering Before spring growth Before spring growth Before or after blooming Before spring growth Before or after blooming Before spring growth After spring flowering Late summer or fall After spring flowering Late summer or fall Late summer or fall After spring flowering Late summer or fall |
Pruning your shrubs and trees at the right time is essential for maintaining a healthy, beautiful landscape. Watch this quick video if you want a visual demonstration of how to prune, and the most important tips before starting. At Terra Landscaping, we understand the importance of proper pruning to promote growth and prevent disease, ensuring that your valuable property is treated properly. By following this seasonal pruning guideline, you can rest easy knowing that your plants will remain healthy year-round. Whether you’re shaping hedges, trimming trees, or boosting flower production, the right pruning techniques will make a noticeable difference to your landscape. For professional assistance, please contact Terra Landscaping today to reach out to our personal pruning specialists who can assist with any of your needs.
