ISA Certified Arborists | Licensed • Bonded • Insured
Written By: Eric Ledford
ISA Certified Arborist – PN-9290A
ISA Qualified Tree Risk Assessor (TRAQ)
Updated June 17, 2026
Whether you want to control an overgrown shrub, shape a hedge, or encourage flowering and healthy growth, understanding when and how to prune and trim your landscape plants is essential. Before clipping away, use this guide to learn the best times, techniques, and tools for pruning and trimming shrubs, bushes, and hedges.
When done correctly, seasonal shrub pruning, bush trimming, and hedge trimming encourage healthy growth, keep plants in shape, and increase flower and fruit production.
The terms "shrub pruning" and "bush trimming" are both techniques used to maintain the health, shape and size of bushes, hedges or shrubs. These two terms are often used interchangable, however there is a clear difference: pruning is the removal of unnecessary or dead branches while trimming is the removal of overgrown branches.
Pruning focuses on the health, structure, and long-term development of trees and shrubs. A proper pruning plan removes dead, diseased, damaged, or poorly attached branches while encouraging healthy growth and reducing future risk.
Pruning is commonly performed during dormancy or at species-specific times to support flowering, fruit production, and structural integrity.
Common pruning services include:
Trimming focuses on appearance, size control, and maintaining clearances around homes, walkways, driveways, fences, and utility lines. While trimming can provide some health benefits, its primary purpose is to shape plants and control growth.
Most hedges, shrubs, bushes, and ornamental trees require periodic trimming throughout the growing season to maintain a clean, attractive landscape.
Common trimming services include:
The best time to prune a shrub, bush, hedge, or small tree depends on why you're pruning it and what type of plant you're working with. Some plants are pruned immediately after flowering, others during winter dormancy, and some can be lightly trimmed throughout the growing season.
As a general rule, structural pruning is often performed during dormancy, while flowering shrubs are typically pruned according to their bloom cycle. Understanding whether a plant flowers on old wood or new wood can help prevent accidentally removing next year's flowers.
Hedge maintenance follows many of the same principles. Proper hedge trimming involves more than simply cutting plants back—it also includes timing, growth management, density control, and long-term plant health. Learn more in our hedge trimming resources below.
Most flowering shrubs should be pruned shortly after they finish blooming. This allows the plant to recover, develop new growth, and set flower buds for the following season.
Plants that bloom on old wood—such as lilac, rhododendron, azalea, and many spring-flowering ornamentals—should generally be pruned immediately after flowering. Waiting until fall or winter may remove next year's flower buds. Plants that bloom on new wood—such as some hydrangeas, butterfly bush, and rose varieties—are often pruned during dormancy before spring growth begins.
Early-Spring bloomers like lilac, rhododendron, and azalea produce flowers on wood grown the previous year and should be pruned in late spring after flowering. If you prune them later or in the winter, you risk cutting off flower buds, decreasing blooming the following spring.
Late bloomers like Hydrangea produce flowers on old wood and should be pruned before midsummer after blooming. Some newer Hydrangea variations bloom on old and new wood, so timing is less critical. Flowering plants that bloom on new wood can be trimmed whenever they are not in bloom.
Summer bloomers
like rose bushes and crepe myrtle develop buds in late spring and early summer. Prune summer and late flowering shrubs and trees during late winter or early spring dormancy to promote flower production.
PRO TIP: To keep your spring flowering shrubs and bushes blooming vigorously, trim the oldest shoots down to the stem. Doing so allows younger branches to flourish and bloom.
Non-flowering trees and shrubs should be pruned when dormant (during the winter). You can trim away any suckers after the leaves have come in but don’t trim the rest of the plant, as new leaves cannot replenish the energy required to heal the cuts, which leaves your bushes susceptible to pests and disease.
Fruit trees are a specialized form of pruning. Unlike ornamental shrubs and landscape trees, fruit tree pruning focuses on structure, sunlight penetration, airflow, fruit quality, and long-term production. Most apple, pear, cherry, and other deciduous fruit trees are pruned during dormancy in late winter, although timing and techniques vary by species.
If you're interested in growing healthier trees and producing better fruit, explore our detailed fruit tree pruning guides below.
Yes — evergreen trees and shrubs often benefit from periodic pruning and trimming to maintain their health, appearance, and clearance from structures. While many evergreens require less frequent maintenance than deciduous plants, selective pruning and trimming help prevent overgrowth and keep plants looking their best.
Common reasons to prune or trim evergreen trees and shrubs include:
Evergreen tree care is typically accomplished through a combination of pruning and trimming techniques. While the terms are often used interchangeably, they serve different purposes. Evergreen pruning focuses on plant health, structure, and safety by removing dead, damaged, or poorly positioned branches. Evergreen trimming is primarily performed to control growth, maintain clearance, and preserve a neat, attractive appearance. Most evergreen trees and shrubs benefit from a thoughtful combination of both practices to support long-term health and appearance.
Timing matters. Light trimming and selective pruning are commonly performed from late winter through early summer, depending on the species and desired outcome. Heavy shearing or improper pruning can permanently affect the appearance of some evergreens, so cuts should be made thoughtfully and according to the plant's growth habits.
Many common Pacific Northwest evergreens—including arborvitae, English laurel, Portuguese laurel, yew, boxwood, holly, juniper, false cypress, pine, spruce, and fir—can be successfully pruned and trimmed when proper techniques are used. However, some species do not readily regrow from old wood, making over-pruning difficult to correct.
If an evergreen tree or shrub is growing into structures, obstructing access, interfering with utility lines, or requires ladder work to maintain safely, it is often best to consult a qualified arborist to protect both plant health and site safety.
Learn how to care for arborvitae, laurel, holly, juniper, pine, fir, spruce, and other evergreen trees and shrubs with our detailed Evergreen Tree Care Guide.
The location of a pruning cut depends on the objective of the work. Different pruning techniques are used to improve structure, direct growth, reduce size, or maintain the appearance of hedges and shrubs.
Thinning cuts remove an entire branch back to its point of origin, typically at the branch collar. These cuts are commonly used to remove dead, damaged, diseased, or crossing branches while preserving the tree's natural structure. Most arboricultural pruning cuts are made at the branch collar rather than in the middle of a branch.
Heading cuts shorten a branch by cutting back to a bud, lateral branch, or growth point. These cuts are often used in fruit tree pruning, shrub pruning, and certain training systems where directing future growth is the goal. Proper heading cuts are typically made just above a healthy bud or lateral branch.
Hedge trimming and formal shrub shaping are performed differently than selective pruning. Rather than targeting individual branches, trimming often removes a uniform layer of seasonal growth to maintain the desired shape and size of the plant.
Avoid making pruning cuts above shoulder height whenever possible. Use proper equipment, stable footing, and safe work practices. If a tree or shrub cannot be safely maintained from the ground, consider using a pole pruner or consult a qualified arborist. Many pruning injuries occur when homeowners overreach from ladders or attempt to cut branches beyond their safe working height.
The 3-cut method should be used when removing larger limbs from trees or large shrubs. This technique prevents bark tearing and reduces damage to the trunk or remaining branch.
Using the correct pruning and trimming tools helps you make cleaner cuts, reduce plant stress, and work more safely. Different tools are designed for different branch sizes, plant types, and pruning objectives. Whether you're pruning shrubs, trimming hedges, maintaining evergreen trees, or removing deadwood from larger landscape plants, choosing the right equipment is essential for healthy growth and professional results.
Most homeowners can handle basic shrub pruning and bush trimming with hand pruners and loppers, while larger branches may require pruning saws, pole saws, or chainsaws. Understanding when to use each tool can help prevent torn bark, improper cuts, and unnecessary damage to your trees and shrubs.
Learn more about pruning saws, pole saws, hand pruners, loppers, and other arborist tools in our Arborist Tools Guide.
Pruners, shears, and loppers are the most commonly used tools for shrub pruning, bush trimming, hedge maintenance, and light tree pruning. Hand pruners are ideal for precise cuts on small stems and twigs, shears are commonly used to shape hedges and shrubs, and loppers provide the leverage needed to cut larger branches up to approximately 2 inches in diameter. Using the right tool helps create cleaner cuts, improves plant health, and produces a more professional appearance.
For woody stems and branches too large for loppers. Useful when you need controlled, precise cuts without power tools.
Used when shrub or small-tree material is too thick for hand tools. Best handled by trained operators—kickback and control matter.
Pole pruners and pole saws help reach higher cuts without stepping into the shrub. Keeps work safer and reduces overreaching.
Only when needed—and only with stable footing and proper technique. If you can’t cut safely from the ground, it’s usually time to call a pro.
Eye protection, gloves, hearing protection (for power tools), and sturdy footwear. Safety gear prevents most common pruning injuries.
Not sure which tools—or how much—you should remove?
A
certified arborist can help you avoid costly mistakes and long-term plant stress.
There is no single pruning percentage that applies to every tree, shrub, hedge, or bush. The amount that can be safely removed depends on the species, age, health, and purpose of the pruning.
As a general guideline, arborists often limit live foliage removal on mature trees to approximately 25% within a growing season. However, shrubs, hedges, fruit trees, and evergreen landscape plants are often managed using different techniques and may tolerate significantly more or significantly less pruning depending on the species and objective.
The goal should not be to remove the maximum amount possible. Instead, pruning and trimming should be performed with a specific objective in mind, such as improving plant health, maintaining clearance, reducing risk, encouraging flowering, or controlling size.
Yes. Removing too much foliage, pruning at the wrong time of year, or using improper cutting techniques can stress or permanently damage shrubs, hedges, and trees. Some species readily recover from aggressive pruning, while others may decline when excessive foliage is removed.
If you are unsure how much growth can be safely removed, consult a qualified arborist or follow species-specific pruning recommendations.
Improper pruning can damage plant structure, reduce flowering, and create long-term health problems. If you're unsure where to make cuts or how much growth to remove, professional guidance can prevent costly mistakes.
If pruning requires ladder work, power equipment, or reaching above shoulder height, safety risks increase significantly. Professional arborists have the equipment and training to work safely at height.
Discolored foliage, dieback, unusual growth, holes in leaves, or insect activity may indicate an underlying health issue. An arborist can help identify the cause and recommend corrective pruning, treatment, or monitoring.
Trees and shrubs growing near power lines, communication lines, sidewalks, roads, or structures require special care. Utility clearance work should always be performed using proper procedures and safe work practices.
Many cities regulate pruning, significant trees , street trees, and vegetation located within environmentally critical areas. Most property owners are unfamiliar with local tree regulations and may not know whether permits, inspections, or additional documentation are required before work begins.
When permits or municipal regulations apply, a qualified arborist can help identify regulated trees, determine whether a property is affected by local ordinances, and provide the documentation often required by city staff during permit review.
This is especially important when pruning involves significant trees, street trees, protected species, environmentally critical areas, utility corridors, steep slopes, wetlands, or other regulated conditions. Professional guidance can help avoid delays, violations, and unnecessary complications.
Sound Tree Care provides professional shrub pruning, bush trimming, hedge trimming, and tree pruning services throughout Seattle, SeaTac, and the surrounding area. Our ISA Certified Arborists can help identify plant health issues, improve clearance, shape overgrown shrubs, and recommend the best pruning approach for your landscape.
If your shrubs are overgrown, too tall to trim safely, showing signs of disease, or growing near structures or utilities, we can help you decide what should be pruned, trimmed, reduced, or left alone.
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