This was extremely helpful! Thank you for walking us through the steps of the different methods of pruning and the reasoning behind it. I look forward to all your videos and appreciate your garden style!
Sweet! First year in a house with very large azaleas - I was just waiting for the right time to knock them waaaay back. I think’ I’m one of the few people in NC that doesn’t gush over these bushes.
Cleaning up a decades old burning bush is more of a challenge than I anticipated. The weird flanged branches look dead, but many have new growth on them. I’ll give it a little more time before I remove anything that’s not obvious dead wood. Amazing how much better it looks. Thought I was going to have to remove it.
That purple fringe tree would be beautiful if pruned into a small tree shape with contrasting color planted beneath it! Wish they were hardy in my zone 6a.
Thanks Jim.There has been so much rain in Georgia, everything is shooting up at the same time. Can you talk about what to plant under Oak and Maple trees?
I had a single stem serviceberry and it suckered like crazy endlessly. Those do not want to be standards they want to be multi stemmed shrubs. It eventually declined and it put it out of its misery.
Just an amazing amount of knowledge you share with your viewership. Thanks so much, Jim I also echo a video on sharpening tools. I tried last fall but need some additional help.
Nice trim on the loropetalum. I’m in Texas, and mine will be a year old in July. My question, I still have some brown stems in the center of a couple of mine, how do I know when to prune them out? Thanks.
Good tips on the types of tools needed. I also would appreciate a tool maintenance video, and maybe thoughts on what to look for in tools to make sure it's a decent quality that will last and be able to be maintained. Now I'm in the mood to do some trimming!
This happens to me all the time! I checked your site Wednesday to see if you had a video on pruning shrubs. Well I didn't find one so just trimmed the shrubs anyway. Now today here is your video! Thanks for sharing so much information but I wish it was shown earlier😂.
on that service berry I'd leave those suckers for a season or two. Develop the top for production but leave the suckers. The tree will gain more girth while the top ramifies. Might get some back shoots for more production...Or interesting shape. In bonsai the sucker is called a "sacrificial" branch. I'd leave them for 2 or three.
I planted a snowball viburnum this year I want to prune up to plant under eventually. Since this is its first year how long should I wait to prune.? Is it too young? And I should just prune off the spent flowers or leave them?I know if it blooms in spring prune in fall and vice versa. Thanks
Jim, those bypass loppers are the perfect tool to take care of that mulberry tree at the end of your street, or better yet, just go after it with a chain saw! 😃😊
As I was quickly scrolling through vids, (to me) It looked like you were wearing a bathrobe, you're ok Jim it's a denim shirt. (Save the bathrobe and fuzzy slippers for indoors).
Has anyone pruned a mature Abelia notably back? Mine are about two feet high and three feet wide. I planted some young ones nearby and would like have them the same size in a year or two.
Love the tips on both the tools to use for each job and how/why to choose a specific pruning shape. Haven’t seen that on any other channel, so really appreciated that insight.
I have a bush alone the front (west-facing) side of y house that has grown as tall as the gutters on the house - so it needs a LOT off the top! But, as you mentioned while you were pruning your “purple bush”, it has indeed gotten so tall that the bottom foot or more is “naked”. Question 1: can I cut 5 feet off the top all at one time? Question 2: with renewed access to sunlight. will the bottom naked part start sprouting green leafy “twigs” again? (since it’s obviously not dead because the live, leafy branches above also come from it...)
I am in zone 8 (Birmingham AL) and have some Dwarf Cherry Laurels. I am wondering when to prune for shape as the limbs are very spindly. Is it too late now in this zone? I want a pyramidal shape and for them to thicken a bit. Since the leaves are a bit larger than the ligustrum I am a little fearful of doing it wrong. Thanks!
Regarding your serviceberry... I've seen them grown as multi-stem trees. Should a multi-stem tree be purchased that way or can you allow select suckers to continue growing to form new trunks? Or will those suckers be at too acute an angle and be weak? I assume a similar theory applies to a crepe myrtle.
I also have an autumn brilliance service berry that throws suckers constantly. I have been cutting them off but I wonder what your thoughts are on treating the suckers with a product like “sucker punch” to keep them from suckering again. I have no experience using anything like that. I just snip them off and wait until the next ones show up and do it again. It was planted in my zone 8a spring 2020.
I love pruning. Reason I personally went with shrubs this year. Question. I bought a small azalea bush this year which has finished blooming. Should I be pruning since it is small, or not?
My rhododendron is getting massive so as soon as it finishes blooming it will be getting pruned. When we first moved here it looked weird, the branches were like spaghetti, all bent. So I pruned it pretty hard and it came back nicely. But it must be 10 or so feet wide. Plus it’s branches are rooting itself. Have you ever seen one limbed up like you did to the lilac? It would give me more space on my small lot but would it looked odd?
Thanks …learned a lot from your video. Could you do one of the Japanese maple tree? I have a large red one that is growing with too many horizontal branches and I’m afraid to open it up too much although it’s shading my zoysia too much. Don’t know if I can trim those horizontals?
Hi Jim, I have a 3 year old Yoshino Cherry which has two branches that are much longer and more leggy than all the others which go straight up and arch over. They frankly look weird. If I were to prune them back, would that mess up the overall growth habit of the tree?
Loved seeing the pruning process. Last summer, I did some pruning of my crape mrtyle bush into this nice shape towards the top. This spring have to remove the suckers off the bottom and on the limbs...proud of myself.
Thank you for the informative video. I live in Texas and we had a nasty winter with temps dipping to -10 for about a week. I planted several red tip photenia's last August. They were doing great, even into winter.....then that cold spell hit. There is very minimal foliage left on the branches and all have nice new growth at the base. Do you suggest I prune these back down to the new growth or leave alone?
Im growing an Acer platanoides from seed in my garden. I’ve got lots of space for it to grow and I want it to be a nice big specimen tree one day. It’s quite windy here and so the tip of the tree with the new growth (it’s about 8ft now) kind of tips. The little branches that start to form (the tree is still pretty narrow) also seem to form mostly away from the wind. What do I do now? I used to think, that the tree would build up it’s beautiful round shape best, if it’s left alone. But it’s that true? Do I need to correct the growth?
hey Jim, Do you know anything about cherry tree pruning? I was wondering if cherry trees could be notched to encourage lower branching? try to keep it on the shorter side but my first set of branches is already over my head its supposed to be grafted on a semi dwarf root stock.
I have a pieris that has dropped most of its leaves on the interior but has healthy growth on the outside. Will it develop new leaves on the inside if I cut back some of the branches? It has just finished blooming.
I have some huge Lorapetalum I need to get after! I also have a golden mop head cypress. It’s so wide at the bottom and getting wider, I’m tempted to make it a standard, but don’t want to mess it up. 🤔
Great video. I’ve been doing a lot of pruning. We have so many varieties I finally made a schedule so I get the timing right. This video was very helpful 👍
Was so happy to see this video post! Great information. Everything looked great, especially that lilac. Pruning still intimidates me a bit, but I really appreciate hearing your perspectives on these plants and strategies for how you approach it. And of course was so happy to see the next step on the hydrangea tree form. Mine needs a bit more growth I think before make any cuts, but I’m ready when the day comes. Thanks, Jim!
I think that lilac's going to look even prettier next year for it's 15 minutes and am eager to see what you're planning to plant around it. Also googling sunshine legustrum growing conditions...
@@JimPutnam The pruning doesn't bother me, it's the disease. If anyone knows ways to prevent disease on the serviceberry, please let me know. Thank you
It had never occurred to me that notch in my hedge shears was for cutting larger branches. Duh! Thanks for all the great info (as always)!
I'd love to see a video on how to sharpen the tools.
Yes! Same here
The Corona Blade Sharpener has been impressive and a great help for me. Very small, very effective. Love it.
I wonder If a knife sharpener would work?
Yes, I would also like to see how to sharpen my tools. Thanks!
Your are an artist, look at that yard.
Jim, such priceless information...not one question left unanswered LOL. Thanks as always- AJ
Oh man, I love how the Sunshine Ligustrum turned out 💚
Your video was very helpful! It was very easy to understand because he explained the procedure of various pruning methods and the reason.
Sharpening tools video, yes please.
This was extremely helpful! Thank you for walking us through the steps of the different methods of pruning and the reasoning behind it. I look forward to all your videos and appreciate your garden style!
Sweet! First year in a house with very large azaleas - I was just waiting for the right time to knock them waaaay back. I think’ I’m one of the few people in NC that doesn’t gush over these bushes.
great video - good info. finally, someone explained the different uses for the by-pass and anvil pruners - learn something new everyday !!!
Thanks Jim. Very helpful.
Get out late from work, this is a great way to relax for me
Thanks enjoy learning every time…
Blessings
Good tips on pruning as well as the tools! 👍
Cleaning up a decades old burning bush is more of a challenge than I anticipated. The weird flanged branches look dead, but many have new growth on them. I’ll give it a little more time before I remove anything that’s not obvious dead wood. Amazing how much better it looks. Thought I was going to have to remove it.
That purple fringe tree would be beautiful if pruned into a small tree shape with contrasting color planted beneath it! Wish they were hardy in my zone 6a.
Thanks Jim.There has been so much rain in Georgia, everything is shooting up at the same time. Can you talk about what to plant under Oak and Maple trees?
This was very helpful! Pruning always makes me nervous. Thanks!
Great information on pruning. I thought everything looked beautiful but I absolutely understand why. Great job!
Amazing what a nice prune job can do for shrubs, makes the garden look care for and intentional. Thanks for the invaluable tutorial.
i use hand pruners and loppers, gave away the hedge tool years ago.
Great information, thanks Jim!
thank you so much for demonstrating that size control doesn't mean meatballing your shrub! 'Cutting with intent' YES!!
I had a single stem serviceberry and it suckered like crazy endlessly. Those do not want to be standards they want to be multi stemmed shrubs. It eventually declined and it put it out of its misery.
That was extremely informative. Thank you so much. Learned a lot.
Your garden is looking beautiful !!!
Just an amazing amount of knowledge you share with your viewership. Thanks so much, Jim I also echo a video on sharpening tools. I tried last fall but need some additional help.
Thank you.
I've been using hedge shears for decades. I never knew anout the notch for thicker limbs. Thanks.
me too!
Thanks Jim the video was very helpful & appreciated
Great video Jim!
Good stuff.
What a great video !! 🌷 Thank you
As the service berry tree grows, can you show how to train the limbs? Or do you already have a video about that? Thanks for all the great content.
Nice trim on the loropetalum. I’m in Texas, and mine will be a year old in July. My question, I still have some brown stems in the center of a couple of mine, how do I know when to prune them out? Thanks.
Didn't know what anvil pruners were for or that dead branches dulled the blades on by pass pruners!
Good tips on the types of tools needed. I also would appreciate a tool maintenance video, and maybe thoughts on what to look for in tools to make sure it's a decent quality that will last and be able to be maintained.
Now I'm in the mood to do some trimming!
I said God Bless you when you sneezed. Like you could hear me🤣
This happens to me all the time! I checked your site Wednesday to see if you had a video on pruning shrubs. Well I didn't find one so just trimmed the shrubs anyway. Now today here is your video! Thanks for sharing so much information but I wish it was shown earlier😂.
on that service berry I'd leave those suckers for a season or two.
Develop the top for production but leave the suckers. The tree will gain more girth while the top ramifies. Might get some back shoots for more production...Or interesting shape.
In bonsai the sucker is called a "sacrificial" branch. I'd leave them for 2 or three.
Thanks, very informative.
I planted a snowball viburnum this year I want to prune up to plant under eventually. Since this is its first year how long should I wait to prune.? Is it too young? And I should just prune off the spent flowers or leave them?I know if it blooms in spring prune in fall and vice versa. Thanks
The lorepetulum and ligustrum looked great with your pruning!!
Wow! Everything you need to know about pruning in one short video! Thank you!
Jim, those bypass loppers are the perfect tool to take care of that mulberry tree at the end of your street, or better yet, just go after it with a chain saw! 😃😊
As I was quickly scrolling through vids, (to me) It looked like you were wearing a bathrobe, you're ok Jim it's a denim shirt.
(Save the bathrobe and fuzzy slippers for indoors).
Is it ok to hack the sunshine lingustrum how fast will it get full again? And is mid March ok to do that?
I used my weed wacker on it...because mine is 8ft and 10 ft high....out of control
Has anyone pruned a mature Abelia notably back? Mine are about two feet high and three feet wide. I planted some young ones nearby and would like have them the same size in a year or two.
Thanks for your great information. You talked about importance of sharp tools. Would you consider a maintenance and tool sharpening video?
Would a Romeo Cleyera be a n ok shrub to tree up.? 7b
Love the tips on both the tools to use for each job and how/why to choose a specific pruning shape. Haven’t seen that on any other channel, so really appreciated that insight.
I learn so much watching. So glad I’ve subscribed. Keep’em coming. Your friend in Mississippi.
I have a bush alone the front (west-facing) side of y house that has grown as tall as the gutters on the house - so it needs a LOT off the top! But, as you mentioned while you were pruning your “purple bush”, it has indeed gotten so tall that the bottom foot or more is “naked”.
Question 1: can I cut 5 feet off the top all at one time?
Question 2: with renewed access to sunlight. will the bottom naked part start sprouting green leafy “twigs” again?
(since it’s obviously not dead because the live, leafy branches above also come from it...)
My coppertop vibrimums have a disease
What's next pruning half?
Thank you!! This was really helpful.
I am in zone 8 (Birmingham AL) and have some Dwarf Cherry Laurels. I am wondering when to prune for shape as the limbs are very spindly. Is it too late now in this zone? I want a pyramidal shape and for them to thicken a bit. Since the leaves are a bit larger than the ligustrum I am a little fearful of doing it wrong. Thanks!
Regarding your serviceberry... I've seen them grown as multi-stem trees. Should a multi-stem tree be purchased that way or can you allow select suckers to continue growing to form new trunks? Or will those suckers be at too acute an angle and be weak? I assume a similar theory applies to a crepe myrtle.
You are an awesome teacher Mr Jim. Thank you for the great information & instructions!
Love the tip on the shears for cutting thicker branches! I would have never known.
I have a love/disapproval relationship with loropetalums. They put on a great display, but there is a bit of anarchy it their habits.
(sneeze) Bless you.
Hi. I'm a new home owner.
This video was very helpful 👏
How long did it take for that lorapetalum to get that big? Thanks for the info.
It can grow three feet or more a year. Not long at all
Stepping stones looks so good! God bless you!
Very helpful and easy to follow.Thank you!
happy Friday, Mr Putnam :)
Thanks for watching
Okatsuna hedge trimmers are wonderful.
In Florida my pruners all get rusty after the first use :(
Oil them
Thank you for sharing! This is right up there with Yuliya's How To Prune A Rhododendron video - everything we need to know in 10 minutes (or 20)...
I also have an autumn brilliance service berry that throws suckers constantly. I have been cutting them off but I wonder what your thoughts are on treating the suckers with a product like “sucker punch” to keep them from suckering again. I have no experience using anything like that. I just snip them off and wait until the next ones show up and do it again. It was planted in my zone 8a spring 2020.
I love pruning. Reason I personally went with shrubs this year. Question. I bought a small azalea bush this year which has finished blooming. Should I be pruning since it is small, or not?
My rhododendron is getting massive so as soon as it finishes blooming it will be getting pruned. When we first moved here it looked weird, the branches were like spaghetti, all bent. So I pruned it pretty hard and it came back nicely. But it must be 10 or so feet wide. Plus it’s branches are rooting itself. Have you ever seen one limbed up like you did to the lilac? It would give me more space on my small lot but would it looked odd?
Pruning examples on varied shrubbery is always appreciated. Thanks
Thanks …learned a lot from your video. Could you do one of the Japanese maple tree? I have a large red one that is growing with too many horizontal branches and I’m afraid to open it up too much although it’s shading my zoysia too much. Don’t know if I can trim those horizontals?
Hi Jim, I have a 3 year old Yoshino Cherry which has two branches that are much longer and more leggy than all the others which go straight up and arch over. They frankly look weird. If I were to prune them back, would that mess up the overall growth habit of the tree?
Loved seeing the pruning process. Last summer, I did some pruning of my crape mrtyle bush into this nice shape towards the top. This spring have to remove the suckers off the bottom and on the limbs...proud of myself.
Thank you for the informative video. I live in Texas and we had a nasty winter with temps dipping to -10 for about a week. I planted several red tip photenia's last August. They were doing great, even into winter.....then that cold spell hit. There is very minimal foliage left on the branches and all have nice new growth at the base. Do you suggest I prune these back down to the new growth or leave alone?
Im growing an Acer platanoides from seed in my garden. I’ve got lots of space for it to grow and I want it to be a nice big specimen tree one day. It’s quite windy here and so the tip of the tree with the new growth (it’s about 8ft now) kind of tips. The little branches that start to form (the tree is still pretty narrow) also seem to form mostly away from the wind. What do I do now? I used to think, that the tree would build up it’s beautiful round shape best, if it’s left alone. But it’s that true? Do I need to correct the growth?
hey Jim, Do you know anything about cherry tree pruning? I was wondering if cherry trees could be notched to encourage lower branching? try to keep it on the shorter side but my first set of branches is already over my head its supposed to be grafted on a semi dwarf root stock.
Does that fence belong to you or your neighbor?
First!
Great video, very well done! I bought a house recently and I am trying to establish nice perennial shrubs in a small space
I have a pieris that has dropped most of its leaves on the interior but has healthy growth on the outside. Will it develop new leaves on the inside if I cut back some of the branches? It has just finished blooming.
I have some huge Lorapetalum I need to get after! I also have a golden mop head cypress. It’s so wide at the bottom and getting wider, I’m tempted to make it a standard, but don’t want to mess it up. 🤔
do you have to dead head the azealeas
No, you don't have to. The new growth will cover it quickly
Jim, your front yard is looking terrific. Maybe I missed a reveal??!
Love your Sunshine Ligustrum! It turned out great! Also love the weeping redbud. It has a lot of character!
Great video. I’ve been doing a lot of pruning. We have so many varieties I finally made a schedule so I get the timing right. This video was very helpful 👍
Was so happy to see this video post! Great information. Everything looked great, especially that lilac. Pruning still intimidates me a bit, but I really appreciate hearing your perspectives on these plants and strategies for how you approach it. And of course was so happy to see the next step on the hydrangea tree form. Mine needs a bit more growth I think before make any cuts, but I’m ready when the day comes. Thanks, Jim!
Great instruction on pruning in several situations as well as the benefits of thoughtful pruning. Very helpful!
My sunshine ligustrum lost all its leaves during winter. Is that normal?
It happens some years. They normally wait for the new growth in the spring to shed, but sometimes it happens before the new growth.
What a great topic and vlog. Learned quite a bit so thank you...again.
Please
Share how to sharpen tools
Can I cut back an encore azalea now?
The weeping redbud reminds me of a Jack and the beanstalk tree
good information 👍
man i would have layered those hydrangea stems you cut off, just a thought.. paniculata easy to propagate, thanks for sharing.
I was literally told that I can't propagate this one. It is a Dr. Dirr one of a kind. I usually would have though.
I think that lilac's going to look even prettier next year for it's 15 minutes and am eager to see what you're planning to plant around it. Also googling sunshine legustrum growing conditions...
Ha! Ligustrum is privet 😜. Bet you knew that already. I can grow it, 😁 yay
This was a great lesson for me, thank you!
Oh no, I just planted an Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry and now I'm terrified that's it's going to be a nightmare caring for it 😳 zone 6 clay soil
I did there minutes of maintenance for this season. It shouldn't bother you really
@@JimPutnam The pruning doesn't bother me, it's the disease. If anyone knows ways to prevent disease on the serviceberry, please let me know. Thank you