Benefits Summary:
- Promote Plant Health.
- Encourage Flowering.
- Maintain Desired Shape or Form.
- Control Plant Size.
It’s best to prune trees and shrubs in the late-winter and early-spring. Watch for disease and look for insect, animal, or storm-damage. Remove any dead or dying branches.
Flowering Trees and Shrubs: If the flowers bloom before the leaves, it means that the trees/ shrubs bloom on the growth of the prior year and should not be pruned until after flowering. These should be pruned immediately after they finish blooming:
- Chokecherry
- Forsythia
- Flowering Plum or Cherry
- Lilac
- Early Blooming Spirea
While shrubs which are grown primarily for their foliage should be pruned in spring before growth begins:
- Alpine Currant
- Barberry
- Burning Bush
- Butterfly Bush
- Dogwood
- Honeysuckle
- Ninebark
- Smoke-bush
- Sumac
Evergreens: Typically the best time to trim evergreens in Central Oregon is from late February to Mid-March. One exception to this is the Rhododendron. Since it flowers on last years growth, it should be pruned after blooming. Avoid pruning evergreens in the warmer months when their sap is flowing as it attracts bugs which can lead to disease in the evergreen.
Professional landscapers will have the tools and expertise to tackle this task. So if you would like professional help, contact one of these landscapers today.