When to Prune What: A Straight Answer on Timing

The single most common gardening disappointment we hear about is a shrub that has stopped flowering. Nine times out of ten the plant is fine and the pruning was simply done in the wrong month.

The rule that covers most cases: if it flowers in SPRING, it set those buds last summer, so prune it just after it finishes blooming. Azaleas, forsythia, lilac and most rhododendrons fall here — cut them back in late winter and you are cutting off this year's flowers before they open. If it flowers in SUMMER, it makes buds on this year's new growth, so prune it in late winter or early spring while it is dormant and it will flower on what it grows back.

Evergreens and formal hedges are a different job. They are pruned for shape rather than for flower, and the aim is to keep light reaching the lower branches — which means keeping the base at least as wide as the top. Shear a hedge narrower at the bottom and the lower growth is shaded out, goes bare, and does not come back quickly.

Whatever the season, deadwood, damaged branches and crossing stems that rub against each other can come out at any time. And it is worth resisting the urge to shear everything into a box: cutting to the plant's natural shape keeps it looking like a plant rather than furniture, and it stays healthier for it.

Not sure what you have or when it should be cut? Call Floy'd Landscaping at (732) 532-9884 — we will walk the property with you and tell you honestly what needs doing now and what should wait.