How to Prune Commonly Overgrown Shrubs

Find out how to get some commonly overgrown shrubs under control

For many of us , this scenario may sound familiar : You move into a new house and everything is perfect — except that huge rhodie out front that is threatening to take back the porch . Or , maybe you buy a gorgeous lilac several years ago and now it is enfold half the front walkway . I like to call the perpetrator in these case the “ animate being ” of the garden : absolutely grand shrub that run to get out of hand . Perhaps you planted them at the start of your gardening vocation ; or possibly you only inherit a dimension with 1 ( or 6 ) of these fauna already in property . Sometimes , you do n’t require to get free of the shrub completely , but after many decades of being ignored , you need to get thing in check . Luckily for overwhelmed gardener , there are specific means to get these imposing monsters under control condition once and for all . True , there are far more fauna of the garden out there than are mentioned here — but you may be able to deal with them in a manner alike to our three examples .

Forsythia (Forsythiaspp.and cvs., Zones 5–8)

When to prune

This is a near capitulation project once all the leaves devolve from the plant .

How to prune

Forsythia is a plant that runs through your garden almost as tight as Usain Bolt . Most folks take the business leader shears and mold it into a gumdrop . Although this tactics reduce the plant life ’s size in the short term , it also reduces the bloom show in other spring ( which is mainly the compass point of having forsythia ) . commend : the longer the canes , the more flowers . Unfortunately , this may be a three - yr renovation project , reckon on the size of your plant .

set forth by jerk out all the runners until you get to the meat of the plant . Use a twain of loppers or a reciprocating saw to take away up to a third of the stalk that have a diameter bigger than a quarter back to ground level . Always remove branches that rub against each other first , then get rid of those that have that potential to do so in the nigh future . The finish is to have the plant ’s stem go up and then cascade down to look like a jet . After that , follow out the outgrowth from their base and remove any bigger stem that furcate into two , leaving one meaty halt in place . I care to get out the upmost one to create a more pleasing cascade effect . The branches you will in place will normally have flowering spur on them , so your show next spring will still be a good one .

Additional control tips

The cutting of the forked limb should be done over the next two years because , chances are , you wo n’t find all the offenders the first year . After this , annually , you will be only remove those branches that get bigger than a quarter in diameter and trim back any branches touch on the ground .

Other plants that benefit from this approach

Common rhododendron (Rhododendronspp. and cvs., Zones 4–8)

This is a overweight - handed pruning problem and not for the faint of heart ! You ’ll be cutting into the old Mrs. Henry Wood severely , all of it , even if it ’s as chummy as a baseball chiropteran . A good rule of thumb is to off at least two - thirds of the bush ’s overall size . Use a large saw ( chain , reciprocating , prow , etc . ) to cut down back each chief arm of the works ’s framework . attempt to make unclouded , slightly angled cuts just above a latent bud ( diminished , tannish - pinkish loony toons on the bark ) . When you ’re cease , the rhodie will look like an old podium waitress to be yanked out by your neighbor ’s pickup truck . When the warmth of spring make it , small green buds will sprout from those “ bushed ” trunks . Be cognisant that the unexampled limb will not bloom the first year and it ’s good to leave these plants alone ( no other passementerie ) for the first year , too .

In the following class , you’re able to do your pruning ( thinning , shaping , etc . ) right after bloom to keep these animal in line . Removing spent flowers helps fill up in the plant life faster . This renovation will keep the works at bay for about five years before you may have to remove it .

How do you know when a shrub is not worth saving?

We ’d care to think that all plants are worth keeping , but truthfully , sometimes they just are n’t . First look at if you could transplant it . Obviously , you must take into consideration size , health , and infinite prerequisite before attempting the move . Some flora can be relocated to the borders of your dimension to help screen undesirable views . Here are a few sentence when you should pull out the plug :

Old-fashioned lilac (Syringa vulgarisand cvs., Zones 3–7)

Late fall ( after a number of arduous frosts ) through early outpouring

hazard are , your older lilac has a caboodle of adult ol’ knobbed trunk . Lilacs also tend to produce suckers ( branches spring up straight up from the ground ) . If there are mountain of suckers at the al-Qa’ida of your lilac , you may remove most , if not all , of the big trunks right at ground grade . If that gives you anxiousness , you could leave a few for social organisation . At this point , you might need to reduce the footprint of the plant , too . If so , you may dig the suckers , roots and all , right out of the earth . If there are large bud at the top of some of these fore , consider leave those , unless they ’re out of boundary ; they will be most probable to produce flower bud . Try not to take out more than half of the total number of mark if potential in Holy Order to uphold the flush display next year .

If your lilac does n’t have any suckers around the base , or if someone has already removed them all , you should only cut out some of the big trunk at this time . Start with any that cross or fret each other . The goal is to save two - thirds of the nicest trunks that have urine sprout ( small branches that grow vertically from an previous subdivision or trunk ) . burn these bole as close to the ground as you may , leave three to five water sprout ( which produce quickly and help the plant fill up out ) coming out of the trunks .

As for next sustenance , transfer any cross or rub branch as they get fatter , remove spent flowers , and proceed to keep the suckers at the lilac ’s base in line . A sharp , deep border on the bed surrounding your plant life will help . You should be able to keep this works for a life after this renovation .

Other plants that benefit from this approach

Ed Gregan is a nurseryman with 30 year ’ experience and the coastal Northeast field representative for Carlton Plants , a sweeping bareroot raiser .

Illustrations : Elara Tanguy

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