Every shrub has different care requirements. We show when the best time has come to cut the individual bushes and give tips on how to proceed correctly.
Shrubs enrich the aesthetics of our garden, our diet and the diet of wild animals and insects with their appearance, their fruit and their blossom. For various reasons, however, it may become necessary to prune a bush. Maybe your shrub or bush has grown too big, isn't blooming properly anymore or contains a lot of dead wood. You may also be asking yourself the following questions: Until when can you cut bushes and trees? And how does the professional cut actually work? We explain the legal situation, explain the right pruning techniques and give examples of different shrubs.
What is a shrub?
Shrubs are plants that are perennial, completely woody and have multiple shoots. With this definition, shrubs can be clearly distinguished from trees, which are also woody, but grow with only one main shoot - the trunk. Typical examples of shrubs are the rose, the witch hazel, the gooseberry, the hazelnut or the privet. Shrubs are planted purely for ornament or as a hedge to protect against privacy. Often, however, the fruit or flower of the bush also plays a role, as is the case with currants, blueberries or elderberries. Because many shrubs are valuable nesting sites and food sources for animals, they are also often used to ecologically enhance gardens and landscapes.
The best time to prune shrubs
Many hobby gardeners are uncertain when it comes to the question of when to cut a bush. And that's no wonder: it's not possible to set a common best time for pruning for all shrubs. Shrubs belong to a wide variety of plant families, are evergreen or deciduous and flower or bear fruit at different times. If you want to cut all your shrubs in autumn, this may be optimal for some to stimulate growth in the following year. other shrubson the other hand, a cut in autumn will result in frostbite in winter or a poor bloom in spring. To help you find the right pruning date for your shrubs, we have compiled the best times for you to prune bushes below.
| shrub | Appointment | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Spring Bloomers | Right after flowering | Pruning later in the year would remove flower buds |
| Summer bloomers | December to March | Pruning to thin out, stimulate new growth, rejuvenation, often promotes more vigorous flowering |
| Fruit trees | December to March | Education pruning, rejuvenation pruning, promotion of new fruiting wood |
| Fruit trees summer pruning | July to September | Promotes fruit quality and colour, not absolutely necessary |
| Hedge trimming deciduous trees | December to March, June to August | Pruning to stimulate the branching of the hedge, twice a year if necessary |
| Roses | After flowering, before July 15 | For maintaining frost hardiness, for renewed flowering or to stimulate flower bud formation for the following year |
Most shrubs do not have to be cut annually, nor should they. Such shrubs that have to be cut annually are rather exceptions, which you will get to know in the course of this article. Aside from the right time to prune during the year, there are two general rules when it comes to when to prune your bushes:
- Do not prune shrubs if frost or excessive heat is expected for the following week.
- Do not cut in direct sunlight. An overcast, slightly cooler day is ideal, with a little rain if possible. You should also avoid cutting shrubs in frost, as this can damage the cut wood.
Tip: when is it allowed to cut the bushes? According to the Federal Nature Conservation Act, gentle pruning and trimming can be carried out all year round. However, very strong interventions in the old wood and cutting down to just above the ground are only possible between October 1st and October 28th/29th. February allowed.
How to cut back shrubs
Even if shrubs have a typical, just shrub-like growth, the right cut is from plant toPlant differently and also depends on the goal of the cut.
- Hedges, topiaries and ground covers are regularly trimmed superficially to achieve dense branching. No cutting inside.
- Shrubs whose shoots emerge from the base such as hazelnut, forsythia, Deutzia and Philadelphus are only thinned out close to the ground. The tightly growing shoots are not pruned in height or at the tips. Only saws, pruning shears and rose scissors are used. Deadwood is also cut out.
- Shrubs that branch half way up such as the weigela, the dogwood or the rhododendron are thinned out on the inside and rarely also at the base. The tips of the shoots remain untouched. Only saws, pruning shears and rose scissors are used. Deadwood is also cut out.
The pruning of a shrub should reflect its normal growth - in such a way that a good pruning does not catch the eye at first glance because of its unnaturalness.
Tip: Common pruning mistakes in shrubs
A bad pruning completely ignores the growth habit of a shrub. Good examples are the cubes and bobbed haircuts, also known as “caretaker cuts”. Here, each bush is transformed into a topiary with the hedge trimmer. Unfortunately, not every type of shrub is suitable as a topiary and responds to the pruning with ugly, unnatural growth, a greatly reduced number of flowers and fruit and broom-like budding in the following year.
Pruning ornamental shrubs
When pruning ornamental shrubs, you can keep to the times and pruning rules mentioned above. Of course, there are some special cases that we would like to present to you in detail here.
Ornamental Shrubs That Need Annual Pruning
Some ornamental shrubs must be pruned annually. As a rule, these are frost-sensitive shrubs that suffer from frostbite in winter anyway. The following shrubs absolutely need such a cut:
- Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)
- Beards (Caryopteris)
- Hessianus (Ceanothus americanus - hybrids)
- Scarlet Fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica)
- Many species of St. John's Wort (Hypericum)
- Fingerwort (Potentiallafruticosa)
- Silverbush (Perovskia abrotanoides)
- Roses (Rosa): Hybrid tea roses, bed roses, shrub roses, historical roses
In March, it is checked which shoots have frost damage and are therefore no longer sprout normally. These are then removed at the base or pruned down to the exit point of a he althy, strong side shoot or an undamaged bud.
Pruning Evergreen Shrubs
In the case of evergreen shrubs, the so-called hidden pruning is carried out. It is so named because the cuts - if done well - are barely visible. They lie inside the bush and are hidden behind leaves. It is always cut in such a way that no bare "stumps" remain. A cut is always made above an existing side shoot or the entire branch is completely removed. In this way, shrubs can be thinned out unobtrusively and reduced in size.
Evergreen shrubs can be a bit bitchy as bushes, which is why you will find important tips for the correct pruning of the green beauties below.
Yew (Taxus): Very tolerant of pruning and suitable as a topiary or hedge. No pruning necessary when growing freely. Pruning can also be used to train the tree shape. Best cutting time: March to July. Heavy pruning into old wood is well tolerated in March.
Spruce (Picea): Difficult as a hedge or topiary as it does not tolerate pruning very well. The annual pruning between August and September or February and March can help. The youngest shoots are shortened by hand just above the clearly visible buds. A cut in the old wood leads to unpredictable and uneven growth.
Heather (Erica, Calluna): Pruning back immediately after flowering. With the hedge trimmer only a few centimeters are cut off from the top. Late flowering common heather (Calluna) should not be cut until spring. The cut promotes flowering in the following year. Heavy pruning is not tolerated.
Pine (Pinus): Difficult as a hedge and topiary because it grows unevenly. The annual pruning at the beginning of June can help: The youngest shoots are shortened by half by hand. However, the pine hedge always remains quite irregular - that is part of its charm. Do not cut when growing freelyrecommend. Cutting into the old wood is not tolerated. Best pruning time: March to June (unless birds are nesting in the hedge!) or September. No pruning necessary when growing freely. Cutting into old wood is badly tolerated.
Arborvitae and cypress (Thuja, Chamaecyparis, Cupressozyparis): Are generally cut as hedges or columns, then flat cut with hedge trimmer. Care must be taken to ensure that the remaining branches still retain green needles or scales. See the special article on pruning the tree of life for more information.
Rhododendrons (Rhododendron): After the flowers have faded, the old infructescence is broken off in order to increase the number of flowers in the following year. Rhododendrons tolerate pruning well and can be pruned back into the old wood if necessary. If the shape is only to be preserved, only the young, green shoots should be cut above the clearly visible buds. The best pruning time is March. Would you like to know more? Our special article on pruning rhododendrons can certainly help you.
Tip: Can you cut softwood back to the old wood?
Here the answer is a resounding no. The vast majority of softwoods and above all spruce (Picea), fir (Abies) and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga) , but also thujas (Thuja) and false cypresses (Chamaecyparis) as well as a number of other softwoods do not tolerate heavy pruning into the old wood very well. Strongly cut shoots are unable to sprout again, dry up and die. The damage caused in this way cannot be repaired. An exception is the extremely pruning-tolerant yew (Taxus).
Pruning Roses
There are two types of pruning for roses: pruning between March and April and summer pruning in July and August. March/April is the right time for almost all roses to stimulate growth and flowering for the new year with a strong, deep pruning. Even if the rose has not suffered much damage from the winter frost, it is still cut just above the second or third bud - seen from the ground. Exceptions to this practice are wild roses, ground cover roses and climbing roses. And there are also special rules for standard roses. Summer pruning in July/August promotes rich flowering of roses. Only the faded inflorescences or whole young shoots can be removed. From theHowever, the shoots should not be cut after July 15th, otherwise the rose's winter hardiness will suffer.
Tip: Pruning climbing roses and park roses
One-blooming roses - often the historical varieties - and climbing roses should only be pruned if they get out of shape. Some of them bloom on two-year-old wood, which would be completely lost if pruned radically.
Pruning the Queen of Roses is a science in itself. Therefore, you will find more detailed information in the special article on the topic of "pruning roses".
Pruning berry bushes correctly
As with the timing of pruning, berry bushes have different requirements than most bushes when it comes to the right technique. Prune berry bushes as follows:
- Currants (Ribes): After the harvest, older shoots (from 4 years) are removed near the ground. In the case of blackcurrants, younger shoots are also shortened, but not completely cut off. See the currant pruning special article for details.
- Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus): The older, biennial shoots can be cut down after harvest, but it is also a perennial fruit possible. See the Blackberry Pruning Speci alty Article for more information.
- Raspberries (Rubus idaeus): Worn canes are cut off on the ground after harvest. Twice-bearing varieties are only topped in March. You can find many practical tips in the special article on cutting raspberries.
- Gooseberries (Ribes uva-crispa): The older shoots (older than 2 years) can be cut, the younger ones are left standing . Cut the shrubs so that there is enough space between the branches for picking - this will make picking easier and avoid injuries to the spines. If you want to know more, check out the special article on slicing gooseberries.
- Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum): Older, gray branches and thin twigs are removed annually, leaving a few strong old biennials and annuals each branches stand still. If you are looking for practical, detailed instructions, you will find them in our special article on slicing blueberries and blueberries.
Do not cut shrubs at all or rarely
Wild trees, regardless of whether they are free-standing or in wild hedges, should be cut seldom or not at all. These provide shelter and food for birds, mammals and insects. Even solitary, i.e. individually standing trees do not have to be pruned - this way the full beauty of their very own, natural form unfolds over the years. In general, most ornamental shrubs look their best without a pruning. The prerequisite for this is, of course, that the individual trees have been given sufficient space when they are planted. Even if the existing space is a bit tight, a pruning as required is sufficient for many shrubs. It is only pruned if the plant gets in the way, gets out of shape or becomes lazy.
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