To prune or not to prune, there is no question about it. All garden bushes, shrubs or trees at one time or another will need to be pruned.
Pruning is the removal of parts of a plant for the benefit of the entire plant. Not only does it involve the elimination of specific branches, but it can also include the removal of buds, seeds and roots.
The reason pruning is so important is that it gives plants “breathing room.” The main objective is to give plants ample space to grow. Crowded plants will grow without pruning, but their performance will be lackluster.
Frequently, gardeners will wait until a plant has grown out of control or has simply grown too big for the available space before they decide to prune.
Often, gardeners are reluctant as they think they may be ruining a beautiful specimen. They can’t bring themselves to remove branches that may flower into gorgeous blossoms. “The more branches a plant has the more blossoms or fruit it will have.”
Thinning is especially important for flowering shrubs. Gardeners can remove stalks or branches without reducing the amount of blossoms.
Most spring flowering favourites such as forsythia and lilacs develop their flower buds in the summer on the old wood. These flowers are tightly encased in buds that, often, are near the tip of the branch.
Pruning these shrubs other then after flowering will eliminate next spring’s blossoms.
Gardeners can remove any dead, dying or interfering branches at any time during the year. To reduce height of a shrub, cut some major canes completely without pruning the remainder of the plant.
Summer blooming shrubs grow flowers on the new growth. Most of these shrubs can tolerate severe pruning.
New growth emerges in spring. Any remaining stocks from the previous year will only provide support for the new growth.
Pruning healthy wood from a plant may make some gardeners feel they are deliberately wasting or discarding valuable plant material.
Still other gardeners view pruning as a seasonal “must do,” even if it is not called for.
Gardeners should only prune to keep the plant healthy, to train individual branches, to restrict growth or to improve the overall performance of flowers, fruit, or foliage.
The rule of limiting the maximum amount of pruning to one-third of the healthy wood in any year is a good guideline to follow.
Excessive pruning reduces the overall size of the plant so much that it has difficulty in compensating for the loss. If too much of the leafy growth is removed, the plant will retaliate by growing unwanted suckers and water sprouts.
Early spring or late fall is a good time to prune. Visually, the foliage will not be a distraction. Gardeners will be able to determine what branches should be removed.
The majority of pruning is visual. Gardeners will have to rely on the design elements to decide what needs to be removed or clipped. The overall shape of the plant and the space between individual branches must be considered.
The design elements are best understood when the gardener stands back and takes an overview of the whole plant and decides where the cuts, if any, should be made. Evaluating the balance and shape of the entire plant is essential when considering what to cut.
Extra long, protruding branches need to be cut back so that they are in line with other similar branches (much the same as a haircut). Areas that are thick with branches will also need to be thinned out.
Pruning trees is very similar, although there are few general rules and methods.
Gardeners will find that they will develop good pruning skills after much experience.
Unlike shrubs, trees have a central leader branch that is rarely pruned unless it is unwanted. Some highly sculpted or low branching trees fit in this category.
Obviously, any branches that compete with the central leader should be pruned back or shortened.
Certain fruit trees need no training but others will require pruning to maintain a productive tree. All trees must have all dead wood, broken, diseased or insect infected branches removed.
There is an abundance of online and library resources for gardeners. Many have easy-to-follow, step-by-step procedures that specifically outline how and where to prune.
Ron Stevenson is a member of the Fergus Horticultural Society.
