Shrubs are a crucial part of many landscapes and can play a variety of roles on your property. Whether your shrubs are decorative or functional, you should always make sure that you maintain their shape and health with seasonal pruning.

There are a lot of reasons to prune your shrubs, and we’ll go into them in detail below.

Shrubs are living things, which means that— just like you— they need a little bit of help now and then to look and feel great. Pruning your shrubs can help keep them as healthy as possible, which will contribute to the overall health and appearance of your landscape.

By pruning your shrubs, you can help eliminate any overgrowth that might be sapping the nutrients from other parts of the plant or even other plants in your landscape. Controlling this overgrowth has a lot of benefits. Pruning also helps increase the number of blooms on your shrubs.

One of the reasons that this is so beneficial for your shrub is that it helps the shrub allocate its energy to the proper channels. If your shrub is focusing all of its energy and nutrients into growing new branches and expanding in size, it isn’t sending enough energy to maintain the health of the existing branches and leaves.

Pruning also eliminates dead, dying, or diseased branches that could compromise the health of the entire organism. There are many plant diseases that will infect the entire shrub— and surrounding plants— if left unchecked, so it’s important to prune them occasionally to keep them healthy.

Trimming a shrub will also help deter pests and other animals who may be drawn to your shrub. This will help keep them from moving in and causing other problems with the health of your shrubs.

Pruning can also help you keep the appearance of your shrubs in tip-top shape. You can prune them into all different shapes and sizes, but this requires maintenance and regularly scheduled pruning. An unchecked shrub will grow wild and can look unsightly, so pruning is necessary if you prefer a sleeker look.

We’ve all seen how untidy and unkempt a free-growing shrub looks in someone’s yard. Pruning is the best way to control the appearance of your property and help give your yard a lush, healthy, and beautiful appearance.

Pruning also trains your shrubs to grow a certain way over time, which can have long-term benefits for the aesthetic and function of your landscape. If you want your shrubs to grow up, rather than out, for example, you should have a professional trim excess growth on the sides.

Pruning your shrubs is also important for maintaining the safety of your home and property. This is especially true if you have larger or taller shrubs. As they continue to grow, they can get so large that they’ll obstruct your view or could cause damage to your home or property.

Imagine, for example, that your driveway was lined with tall shrubs. Over time, without proper pruning, these shrubs could grow in such a way that they block your view in the rearview. This might mean that you don’t see a passing car, animal, or pedestrian. They could also grow into the driving space on your driveway, which could cause them to accidentally scratch the paint of your car.

This is just one example, but the list goes on! If you don’t properly prune your shrubs, they could grow in a way that damages other parts of your property as well. This could mean dangerous roots that trip pedestrians, or even roots that grow into the foundation of your home.

You should always keep your shrubs well pruned to ensure the safety of your family and personal property.

Pruning your shrubs may seem like a straightforward or easy process, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Not only do you need specific tools and a lot of time, but you also need to understand the impact that every single cut will have on the health and future growth of your shrub.

There’s a lot of science that goes into pruning your shrubs to perfection. You must get the angle of the cut just right to promote healthy growth. You also need to understand how much to cut, which areas need special attention, and when and how often your shrub needs to be pruned.

A trained professional has spent years perfecting the art of landscaping and can help you achieve your landscaping goals as efficiently and effectively as possible. Your landscaper will also be able to give you helpful advice for maintaining your shrub’s health in between pruning.