A row of attractive shrubs can function as a tasteful boundary between adjoining properties and as an effective barrier for keeping out stray pets and animals. Shrubs can also be an important part of an appealing landscape design. Yet without regular care, pruning in particular, shrubs can turn from a beautiful border or feature into an unkept eyesore.
Most people believe that pruning is a job for the summer and fall seasons. While it is best to prune certain types of trees and shrubs during these seasons, there are shrubs that benefit from winter pruning. January and February are some of the best times to prune deciduous and coniferous shrubs. Pruning these shrubs in the winter while they are dormant revitalizes them so that they grow back strong and healthy in the spring.
Pruning your shrubs is a job you can do yourself, but it must be done properly and with care to avoid causing harm to the plants. If you are not comfortable pruning shrubs yourself, you can call our professional arborists to handle the job. Thanks to extensive training, arborists at Hendricksen Tree Care can identify shrubs and best practices for pruning and shrub health.
Why Winter Pruning is Important
Pruning your deciduous and coniferous shrubs in the winter has the following benefits:
- The pruning cuts are less likely to be affected by insects or disease which are dormant during the winter.
- Damaged or diseased branches and the overall structure of the shrub are more visible with no foliage.
- Winter pruning gives shrubs extra energy and stronger roots which promote regrowth in the spring.
- Pruning too late in the summer or fall can lead to new growth that will be damaged by the winter weather. This is not a concern with winter pruning.
Best Pruning Practices
The arborists of Hendricksen Tree Care are trained and experienced to provide effective pruning services that will improve the health and aesthetics of your shrubs. There are two kinds of pruning: by hand or by power shears.
- Power Shears: Although the use of power shears is the faster, easier, and cheaper method, it often harms the shrubs over time. Up until they are removed and replaced which is more expensive. Power shearing focuses on the exterior of the plant and cuts every branch to the same height or width. The result is a shapely shrub with a dense exterior layer with little to no interior foliage.
- Hand Pruning: Pruning a shrub with a pair of hand help clippers yields more sustainable results. Our arborists can decide exactly which branches to prune and where to prune them for best health to the shrub. Opening the plant’s exterior allows more sunlight. The result is a more natural shaped and looking shrub, all the while maintaining the shrub’s designated size.
Shrubs pruned by hand tend to flower more consistently. These same shrubs live longer and are less susceptible to insects and diseases. It isn’t uncommon to see healthy shrubs live well beyond forty years.
These benefits explain why arborists at Hendricksen Tree Care only prune shrubs manually. Separate you and your shrubs from the fast and cheap shears your landscaper uses, you’ll create handsome landscapes filled with healthier shrubs that are shaped naturally, flower more consistently, and live longer.
For more about our residential shrub and tree services, contact Hendricksen Tree Care at (847) 348-8302.
