Shrub Pruning Dos and Don’ts for Healthier Plants

Good pruning removes dead, damaged, and crossing wood, opens the canopy, and keeps plants in scale with the house. Bad pruning tops everything into meatballs, strips bloom wood, and leaves stubs that die back.

Do learn whether your shrub flowers on old or new wood before spring cuts. Do cut just above an outward-facing bud or back to a main stem. Don’t remove more than about a third of live growth in one season unless you are intentionally renovating a species that tolerates it.

If every shrub on the property needs attention, schedule pruning with the seasons instead of one panicked Saturday. Consistent light maintenance beats emergency hatchet jobs.