By Katie Lamar Jackson | March
2009
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Pruning plants can be an exercise in self doubt. Will I cut too much or too little? Will I snip the right limbs at the right locations? Will I get so clip-happy that my shrubs are bald?
Relax. Pruning doesn’t have to be an onerous task.
The first rule of prudent pruning is to have a plan and a goal before you make the first cut. Decide in advance if you are pruning to reshape a plant, remove dead or diseased limbs, rejuvenate a neglected plant or induce more blooms or fruit.
The second rule is to remember that pruning is good for most woody plants. It stimulates growth, removes dead or dying limbs and allows for better air movement and light penetration into a plant’s interior.
The third rule is to remember that more is less, and less is more. Frequent, light pruning is usually more effective for trees, plants and shrubs (and even some annual flowers that benefit from deadheading or pinching back to promote better growth and blooming) than occasional extreme pruning.
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