Spring & Summer Pruning

While most pruning gets done in late winter when the plants are still dormant, dead wood becomes obvious after leaves appear. Master gardener Paul James removes a dead branch from a Japanese maple. White pines that have been planted too close together have a lot of dead wood in the lower part of the tree. With a folding bow saw, James regularly removes these branches, taking care not to cut flush with the trunk. This Italian parsley has started to bolt due to a warm spell. Removing the flower stalks redirects the plant's energy to the formation of new foliage.

Master gardener Paul James tackles the bulk of his pruning chores in late winter when plants are just beginning to snap out of their dormant state. It's the best time to heavily prune the majority of plants--especially deciduous trees and shrubs. It's also the easiest time, because you can see the bare branches and get a good idea what needs to be pruned.

Pruning chores such as removing dead wood from trees and shrubs can be saved for spring and summer. At this time the leaves are out, and you can spot dead wood easily.

James has a mini-forest of white pines that was planted too close together by the original owner 15 or 16 years ago. Sunlight never reaches the lower branches of the trees, so the trees are full of dead wood, mostly smaller branches. With the right tools, cutting this dead wood would be a relatively easy job for most homeowners.

"Most of the pruning I do this time of year on trees and shrubs is actually fairly light," James explains. "It's intended to do nothing more than correct or improve the shape of the plant."

James has a Japanese maple that's too full in the center. He lightly prunes the interior of the plant to let more light in, promote good air circulation all around the plant and expose the more attractive larger branches. As long as he doesn't get carried away or remove more than a third of the branches, the tree won't suffer in the least.

Vines often need pruning to keep them in bounds. A Virginia creeper is expanding beyond the brick of James' house and onto the wood, so he cuts it back a bit. Wild grapevines are creeping from the neighbor's yard, over the fence and into James' yard, threatening to pull off the pickets. To keep these vines in check, James prunes them back hard.

There's also pruning to do in the vegetable garden. Some Italian parsley is starting to bolt (go to seed) because of a warm snap. James snips off the flower stalks so that the plant continues to develop plenty of leaves. He also prunes the runners off strawberries to keep them in bounds and pinches back the terminal growth of basil so that the plants stay bushy.