There are few situations in life where you are encouraged to be a procrastinator. However, when it comes to pruning trees, shrubs, and plants, procrastination is often key to success. There is a right time and right way to prune your your plants without injury to them.

When To Prune
There is pruning that can be done throughout the year. This type of pruning is simple as it involves the removal of dead leaves and branches. Doing intense pruning at the wrong time, though, can do irreparable damage to your trees, shrubs, and plants. It is better to use winter as the time to to give your plants a visual once over. At this time you are making note of branches that are crossed or severely damaged. The temptation to get the shears and saw out is a hard one to resist, but resist you must. Cutting into your plants in late fall or winter can be catastrophic to them. The wounds from the pruning will not be able to harden and you could lose your plant. Do your pruning in early spring when new growth begins to appear.

Pruning Methods
Pruning is good for your plants, but many people fear this job. You can’t be afraid of caring for your plants. One method of pruning that is especially useful for shrubs is called heading. Heading is the removal of long stems in order to stimulate growth. This is necessary to encourage your shrubs into a fuller form. When pruning has been a neglected chore, shrubs can become unruly and unsightly. When this happens you will need to do what is called renovation pruning. This is more intense and involves a good deal of work. This program takes about three years to do successfully. You will need to slowly cut back the shrub. Deeply neglected plants will need hard pruning. This method needs to done during the winter dormancy. The plant will need to be cut back to within an inch of the ground.

Do the major pruning jobs in early spring and remember this is not a job you can do just once. You worked hard to get your yard the way you wanted it and you will need to continue working to keep it that way.