Pruning - General Information
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  (January) Can you please tell me when to trim my azaleas back. I know they should be trimmed shortly after they bloom but when is best and is it ok to shape them with electric shears?

  I think you have the right idea. To take a soil test, get a pint of soil from the areas root zone. Since we are testing a specific site, you don't have to take multiple samples of soil and mix them together, as we would if testing the entire yard. For this, test the good area and the bad area, then compare. Take the samples to your local county extension office. You should have your results back in approximately two weeks. Also check the physical site characteristics--drainage, rocks, low area, etc.

  (April) Can you please tell me when to trim my azaleas back. I know they should be trimmed shortly after they bloom but when is best and is it ok to shape them with electric shears?

  I think you have the right idea. To take a soil test, get a pint of soil from the areas root zone. Since we are testing a specific site, you don't have to take multiple samples of soil and mix them together, as we would if testing the entire yard. For this, test the good area and the bad area, then compare. Take the samples to your local county extension office. You should have your results back in approximately two weeks. Also check the physical site characteristics--drainage, rocks, low area, etc.

  (April) Spring has sprung and time, I think, to do some bush trimming. We have four large boxwood shrubs in front of our office here in Little Rock. Is it ok to trim them back at this time? Thanks for the help!

  Yes, but get it done soon, especially if you need to do severe pruning. Boxwoods tend to have very dense outer foliage, and very little interior foliage. They can look a little ugly immediately following pruning. Pruning while the weather is ideal should encourage a rapid recovery.

  (April) As usual, we got busy this spring, and have not yet pruned our crape myrtles, althea and summer spiraea. They are all growing, especially the spiraea and althea. Should we just wait until next spring to prune? Will it hurt them to take off a little growth?

  Crape myrtles and althea do not have to be pruned every year, but you can still prune if they really need it. Crape myrtles take their time about kicking into active growth. Regardless, you won't hurt them by late pruning, but the later you prune, the later they may come into bloom. The summer spiraea (not the spring blooming ones) should be pruned. You may delay the onset of the first blooms a bit, but if you don't prune, they will be tall and gangly this season, and not near as attractive.

  (September) I planted a small Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum dissectum "Ever Red," next to my front porch about 6 years ago. I foolishly ignored the average height and width listed on the tag because our soil is so bad (mostly rock) that nothing ever seems to reach the size the tags says they should. The maple grew slowly and did beautifully with sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. Now, it seems that it's suddenly getting too big for the spot! It's just short of 3 feet tall but the branches are 8 feet across! The height isn't a problem; the width is starting to be. Can this type of tree be pruned and still maintain it's beautiful cascading shape or do I need to try to move it to a spot where it can grow as much as it wants? Thanks for your help!

  Personally, I would move the tree somewhere that it can grow unchecked. While you can prune a dwarf Japanese maple, it often ruins their natural grace. If the tree has great form, move it this fall after it loses its leaves and let it grow. If moving is an issue, it can be pruned, but do it as sparingly as possible.

  I have a variety of plants in my yard, and am uncertain when each should be pruned. Could you tell me the appropriate month for pruning each of the following: quince, forsythia, roses, thornless blackberries, firebush and hedges. Thanks for your help.

  Plants which bloom in the spring--quince and forsythia, should be pruned as soon as they finish blooming, but not later than June. Hybrid tea roses bloom on the current season growth, and should be pruned prior to new growth beginning--normally late February. If you have old-fashioned roses or climbers that only bloom once a year, wait and prune them after bloom. Thornless blackberries along with other blackberries, should be pruned regularly throughout the growing season. When the canes get taller than four to five feet, top them back to encourage manageable bushes with easy to pick fruit. After they bear, prune out the canes that had fruit for that season. By firebush I am assuming you mean pyracantha. You can prune as needed, but if you want to leave berries, you may want to prune judiciously around the flower and/or berry clusters. Plants grown for hedges, if they are non-blooming, can be sheared or shaped lightly at any time of the year, as needed. Severe pruning should be done in early spring.

  I know you get questions regarding pruning all the time, but I am still confused. We have several plants that are overgrown in this new house we purchased. We have azaleas, forsythia, hollies, hydrangeas and rose of sharons. When is the proper time to prune each one, and how far back can they be cut without killing them? I think some of them should be moved, but it would be easier to keep them pruned. Thanks for your help.

  General rules for pruning are as follows: if it blooms in the spring, prune it after bloom. If it blooms in the summer prune it before new growth begins. Evergreens, grown for foliage primarily, such as hollies, boxwoods, photenias, etc. can be pruned as needed. Severe pruning should be done early in the spring to catch the new growth. Azaleas can be pruned by one third to one half after bloom. Forsythias should have one third to one half of the older canes pruned out at the soil line after bloom. Hollies as much as needed when you want. Rose of sharons, or altheas can be pruned hard later this month. The only oddity is the hydrangea. They bloom in the summer, but set flower buds in the fall. Prune them as soon as blooming ends in the summer. Remove some of the older canes close to the soil line. This will reduce size overall, and leave branches for blooms next summer.

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