A lovely, landscaped yard does not come without lots of work; this time of year is perfect for not only indoor spring cleaning but cleaning up outside as well! Trimming and pruning your hedges and shrubs is a quick way to make your lawn look neat and beautiful!
How To Properly Trim Hedges
Just saying your lawn care includes trimming and pruning isn’t enough; you need to know the basics of how to accomplish this goal!
Knowing When To Trim
Typically, non-flowering or evergreen hedges are trimmed only when necessary, but reshaping them before they become overgrown is essential for their health. Although the time frame varies depending on the type of hedges you have, you should set your goal for trimming at 6 to 8 weeks during the warmer months!
Choosing The Right Trimmer
Finding the trimmer to fit your needs is a key component in proper landscaping technique. Gas trimmers are designed to work best for a wider surface area, while corded/cordless electric tools are better for small to medium-sized hedges.
Take Care Of Obvious Eyesores First
When trimming and pruning, it’s best to get rid of the areas that have the most obvious overgrowth first. To avoid making this part of the process time-consuming, shape the interior and other problem areas first, then refine the shape from there. From here, you can move on to doing the intricate detail work that the large tools can’t accomplish.
Trim Rogue Branches And Limbs
Cut any rogue branches or limbs sticking out first; you can also trim overgrown branches inside each bush to clear plenty of space for sunlight and air to pass through to encourage healthy growth! Once that trimming is done, you can prune around the base of the hedge near where the roots are to avoid overcrowding.
Go Little By Little
If you’re trimming and pruning anything on your landscape, it’s much better to go slow and steady to prevent over-cutting and an unfortunate-looking yard. If you’re using a large hedge trimmer, run it slowly alongside the top and each side of the bush to ensure you aren’t cutting too deep. Take frequent, short breaks to physically step back and observe the shape of your hedge!
How To Properly Prune Bushes And Flowers
The intricate, detailed cuts you make to the smaller bushes around your property are a huge part of trimming and pruning.
Knowing When To Prune
You should prune flowering shrubs in early spring after they’ve completely finished blooming for the season to prevent lasting damage. Summer flowering plants can be clipped completely in winter, and non-flowering plants can be pruned after fully forming new growth.
Choosing The Right Shears
You can use a pair of small loppers for medium-sized trims for your beautiful bushes and handheld shears to prune flowers specifically. Using the proper tools or trimming and pruning separately will encourage healthy growth and make your landscape look beautiful!
Plan Out Your Shape/Lines
To prune evenly, use existing objects like the side of the house or a taut string and stakes to create visible lines to follow. Don’t set them up too deep into the shrub cover, and use a level to ensure your lines are straight for a quality trim.
Trimming Deciduous Hedges And Shrubs
Deciduous shrubs and hedges include hydrangeas, butterfly bushes, and many others you might find in your area. Pruning them consists of thinning out the existing growth to promote future growth of any remaining branches and cutting off small branches at their point of origin, trimming them to the shape you want.
Cutting Your Flowers Proper
Cutting back your flowers will also promote new growth and get rid of less-than-desirable blooms! The first step is to cut off any blooms that are dead or dying, then any full stems that look diseased to prevent them from spreading to the rest of the bush.
Choosing The Right Team For Trimming And Pruning
You may think trimming and pruning is easy, but once you break it down, you’ll realize there’s a lot more to it than you thought! Don’t stress yourself out, allow yourself the chance to relax and enjoy your lawn. CityWide is the team for you if you’re looking for quality, detailed work in a timely manner!