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Trimming Evergreens

Upright Junipers

Most varieties of upright Junipers should be sheared at least once per year to maintain their shape and density, and to protect them from snow damage. Some varieties are used as screening plants and do not require pruning as often unless they become too wide or tall. Such Junipers have a stronger branching habit, which is more lateral. Juniper Canaerti and Juniper Ketelleri are commonly used in this fashion.

Yews

Yews can be sheared into any shape provided pruning or shearing is done no later than August 15th. They can be pruned several times during the growing season to maintain appearance. Overgrown yews can be pruned back to a desired height early in the spring. It may take a year or more for a severely pruned yew to again attain the desired follage density. Be patient and supply the planting with a balanced evergreen food.

Intermediate Height Junipers

Junipers such as Pfitzer, Pfitzer Compacta, Sea Green and Von Ehron can quickly overgrow a planting bed if not pruned appropriately. Midsummer pruning should be done annually by shortening the most vigorous branches or by shearing. Never prune after August 15th to prevent winter damage. Do not prune all the green growth off of a branch, as it may take years for the opening to fill in.

Pines, Spruce, and Firs

It is best to prune Austrian, Scotch or White Pines in May or June when the buds and shoots are newly formed. If the plants are pruned every year, pruning usually can be limited to cutting back part or all of the candle (new growth). Pines have buds only on the end of the branch. If the bud is removed too late in the season, no growth will be produced the next season on that branch. This pruning is practical only when the trees are young. Proper placement in the landscape should allow the tree to grow in its natural form as it matures.

Because spruce and fir have multiple buds up and down the branch, they can be safely sheared at almost any time of the year though Spring or late Summer is best. The interior buds not affected by pruning will produce new branches in the following spring. It is preferable not to shear too late in the fall to minimize the chances of winter damage.

The Mugho Pine is one of the nicest plants in the pine family. It can grow to 30 feet and yet maintain its elegance and density. The only way to keep it compact is through pruning. Mugho Pines are grown from seeds, and there is no way of knowing how large an untrimmed Mugho Pine will become. Pruning out all or most of the new candle growth during late May or June will keep the plant small and compact. An overgrown Mugho Pine can be reduced significantly in size by using a very sharp pruning shear and removing 2 to 5 whorls (circles of needles around the stem) of growth from each branch. The cut should always be slightly above existing green stems and needles. If you were to prune deeper into an area of no active green growth, the pine may never produce new growth from the pruned branch.

Evergreen trees and shrubs are plants that have leaves on them throughout the year. They do not shed their leaves at one time and their branches are not bare in the winter.

Evergreens should be pruned to control their shape and size, to remove dead, diseased, or damaged wood, and to remove old branches to allow for new growth. Usually evergreens need less pruning than deciduous shrubs or trees.

Evergreen Pruning Tips

1.	Prune pines in late spring by removing one-half of the candle, or new shoot. Try not to damage needle tips which tend to turn brown.	4.	You can replace a lost leader by tying one of the branches in the top whorl to a vertical brace.
2.	Mugho Pines may be reduced in size by pruning just above a whorl of green active growth. You may remove several years growth at one time.	5.	Trees that have already grown too wide can be narrowed by cutting the branches back to an inner bud.
3.	Keep side branches from growing out of bounds by removing the center bud. This not only slows outward growth but helps to make the plants fuller.	6.	If the tree develops two leaders, remove the less desirable one in early spring. Trees with more than one leader are weaker and less attractive than trees that have a single, strong, central leader.

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