Proper shrub pruning will preserve shrub health over time, and save you money in the long run
Chris Romer, ISA Certified Arborist, Founder of TREeCOLOGY
Shrub pruning is the most misunderstood practice in the green industry. Shrubs offer a wide range of benefits and value to landscapes by providing the 5 F’s: colorful Flowers, attractive Fruits, beautiful Foliage, interesting Form and amazing Fall color. A proper shrub pruning program should help enhance these 5 F’s, not reduce them. Treating all shrubs like they are the same by shearing them twice per year (because it is in the contract), eliminates the beauty and benefits they provide to a landscape. Timely customized pruning will add to their strength, health and resilience for the future, while saving you on expensive shrub replacements.
Since every species of shrub is different, our approach in caring for them must vary too. SavATree experts will evaluate a property’s shrubbery and propose a timely pruning schedule specific to each species which is designed to help them flourish. We use a combination of natural and formal shrub pruning at the proper times to promote the benefits of shrubs.
Rejuvenation shrub pruning is the term for cutting shrubs to ground level (or very low) in hopes of “rejuvenating” entirely new shrub growth. All tissue is removed at once including deadwood, diseased tissue and broken limbs. Just like perennials and ornamental grasses, many shrubs can be cut to the ground in early spring and new, healthier growth will follow. Rejuvenation is a crucial part of properly managing overall height and shrub size.
Core Elements for Shrub Pruning
1. When possible, prune shrubs to enhance their value (flowers, fall color, etc.).
2. There is no such thing as a “shrub that is too big”. There are only shrubs in wrong locations.
3. For shrubs growing in poor locations, replace with a better suited shrub.
4. Prune based on species growth patterns.
5. Do not reduce the height of shrubs in wide open spaces (let them grow to their natural height).
6. Minimize or reduce shearing when possible.
7. Rejuvenate shrubs every 3 to 4 years (for shrubs that can handle this) instead of shearing them again.
8. Most shrubs can be managed with one pruning per year (shearing often creates wild summer regrowth needing a 2nd pruning).
Contact us today to find out if you could benefit from these services.
