when can you cut back bushes?

The best time to prune is after flowering. If the plant needs to be renovated, or severely reduced, this can be done late winter and early spring just before growth begins. Remove old flowers (deadhead) and cut back to healthy outward facing buds. Remove damaged, diseased, old wood and straggly growth.

1. When should shrubs be cut back?
2. How do I prune an overgrown bush?
3. Can you kill a bush by trimming it?
4. What month is considered late winter?
5. What is the difference between pruning and cutting back?
6. When should a hedge be cut back hard?
7. How do I prune an overgrown viburnum?

When should shrubs be cut back?

The best time to rejuvenate large, overgrown shrubs is late winter or early spring (March or early April). Heavy pruning in late winter or early spring will reduce or eliminate the flower display for 2 or 3 years. However, rejuvenation pruning will restore the health of the shrubs.

How do I prune an overgrown bush?

When pruning mature, overgrown shrubs, remove the thickest branches first. Cut them back to the base of the shrub to promote new growth. Hand pruners are useful for smaller branches. Some can handle diameters up to an inch, but long-handled loppers give you leverage to cut branches 1 to 2 inches in diameter.

Can you kill a bush by trimming it?

Over pruning reduces the foliage that's available for making food for the rest of the plant and can allow pests and diseases access to the tree, if cuts are made incorrectly. ... So, although pruning may not kill your plant directly, over pruned trees and shrubs can die as a long term result of the associated stress.

What month is considered late winter?

When is Late Winter? Late winter is 4 to 6 weeks before spring thaw begins. This could be any time in January to May, depending on your climate.

What is the difference between pruning and cutting back?

Pruning vs. ... When you are removing the dead, loose, or infected branches or stems from its respective plant, you are pruning. Trimming, on the other hand, occurs when you are cutting back overgrown plants.

When should a hedge be cut back hard?

Prune it back hard in April if it's getting too large. You can renovate a large hedge by cutting right back to the main trunk. Cut back the top in the first year, then one side of the hedge in the next year before finally cutting the other side in the third year.

How do I prune an overgrown viburnum?

Immediately after it flowers next spring, remove dead stems and suckers, and prune out one-third of the oldest stems. Continue removing the oldest stems each spring until the plant has an attractive and natural-looking shape.