How to Prune Trees and Shrubs | NatureHills.com

Magnolias. Oh, how they make the first weeks of spring shine! Coveted for their GORGEOUS flowers, these trees are staples in USDA growing zones 3-9. 

Loving these trees and growing them are two different things though. Follow along as we cover the basics of keeping magnolia trees happy and healthy.

We’ve all been there, looking at the remnants of last year’s hydrangea wondering, “Do I prune these back or leave them be?” It’s an

Gardeners often fall into one of two categories: either they LOVE pruning time every year ("It's cathartic!") or they HATE pruning time every year ("I think that tree can wait till next year.").

Unfortunately, it is part of the deal when you plant fruit trees. All fruit trees, but especially peach trees, need some coddling when it comes to pruning time. 

Confused about how to prune a peach tree? Want to get the largest fruit possible? Read on!

Pruning Young Peach Trees

Your goal is to open up the tree so that the sun can reach the fruit. This is iimportant to good fruit color, and allows air to circulate which helps avoid pests and diseases.

Too much shade on the

Blueberry bushes are enjoying a little renaissance in home gardening. You can readily find them in garden centers and with so many varieties these days, the probability of finding one that grows in your climate is pretty good. They are easy to grow and are so delicious when they're fresh!

Pruning blueberry bushes is necessary to maintain their health.  However, you must be careful as pruning can directly effect the fruit production of your plant.  Pruning is best done when the bush is dormant, either in the late fall or the early spring.  Spring is often the preferred time because you will be able to see which (if any) branches were da

Pruning hibiscus is not normally needed for the hardy hibiscus. Actually, these plants are herbaceous perennials, meaning their tops die down to the ground each winter, but new shoots will come roaring back into lush growth when soils warm the following spring. Because the tops die down each year, pruning is generally limited to controlling plant size when it gets too large for its area.

Pruning the dead material back in the fall is recommended. Prune the dead material back to about 8 to 12 inches. Then, apply a thick layer of mulch over the plant roots, 8 to 12 inches, to keep plant roots from freezing.

In the spring, remove the mulch and prune the remaining dead plant material to ground level. The tropical hibiscus can be pruned in

Pruning forsythia provides great benefits to the forsythia plant. Many times forsythia is pruned for cut flowers. Pruning a forsythia plant also helps keep the plant to a bushier growth habit. Pruning forsythia also promoters better flowering. A frequently asked question is, "When is the best time for pruning forsythia?" Pruning in December or January provides branches for forcing.  If some pruning is done when the plant is in bloom it again provides cut flowers for use in indoor arrangements. Additional pruning after flowering encourages better branching and the potential for more flowers in future years.

Pruning forsythia after flowering is the most widely used method. Cut out about one-third of the old woody growth.  This encourages n

One of the primary problems faced by gardeners when growing cherry trees is that they do not understand how to prune a cherry tree properly.  Pruning cherry trees plays an important role in ensuring proper growth and fruit production. Before growing one, any gardener must fully understand how to prune a cherry tree properly.

Before understanding how to prune a cherry tree, it is important to know how cherry trees grow. Cherry trees are central leader trees.  This means that there is one main upright trunk, called the leader. All branches will sprout and grow out of this.

A properly pruned cherry tree should have a scaffold shape. This means that there are branches circling the tree, perpendicular to the leader, and th

Rose of Sharon blooms later than most shrubs.  Satin rose and other Rose of Sharon, produce beautiful saucer size blossoms beginning in the summer and continuing until fall.   Pruning rose of sharon each spring will produce fewer flowers, but they will be much larger.  If you give it an occasional pruning, it will produce an array of smaller blooms that will cover the entire shrub.

This shrub can be trained through pruning in late winter, and that way it is easy to give it a desired shape and size.  This shrub may also be trained as a single trunk tree or espalier (training a plant to grow on a trellis or in a small area). Rose of Sharon, such as