Pruning evergreens and Boxwoods
I hope you have enjoyed some of our other articles on pruning (click the title below to view the other articles!)
Today’s topic is all about pruning your evergreens (shrubs and trees) and your boxwoods.
Evergreen shrubs and Boxwoods
A few of the varieties of evergreen shrubs require little or no pruning.
Some of these include Hetz Midget and Danica Arborvitae, Blue Star Junipers, and Dwarf Japanese Garden Junipers.
Most other evergreen shrubs will benefit from trimming. These would include plants such as Boxwoods, Yews, Mint Julep Junipers, Mugo Pines, upright evergreens, and many others.
Generally trim once or twice a year in early spring and/or in early fall. Trim just to shape the plant. Do not do extreme pruning.
If evergreen plants have become very overgrown, you may have to trim severely to get them back in to a good shape. However, they may not look good for a season or two. Avoid this problem by trimming once or twice a year.
Evergreen Trees
Young evergreen trees can be trimmed to help shape them. Trimming will also cause them to be more full and dense.
Check the leader (top branch ) of the tree. If there are 2 main leaders, trim out the weakest of the 2. This will allow 1 strong leader to take over.