Gardeners are often confronted with stray shoots and branches in late.

Rule Number Three: Prune Summer Flowering Shrubs In Late Winter or Early Spring. Many summer flowering shrubs bloom on the current year’s growth. Pruning them back in later winter encourages them to produce lots of new growth that summer and will result in more flowers. Don’t be afraid to cut fast growing plants, such as buddleia or caryopteris, down to as little as ” tall.

Apr 15, Bushes and shrubs should ideally be pruned every year. However, gardeners should take a three year approach to cutting back overgrown bushes and shrubs before pruning the entire plant annually. During the first year, remove one-third of the biggest. Apr 23, 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 Estimated Reading Time: 3 mins.