Shrubs and bushes create attractive barriers, prevent erosion, and host birds and pollinators. With those strengths, it’s often easy to think of bushes and shrubs as self-maintaining. But they need regular trimming to keep them healthy and in good shape.
Learn the best time to trim bushes, why you should trim them, and how to do so.
When to Trim Shrubs and Bushes
The best time to trim bushes is during the dormant season, which stretches from late winter to early spring in many areas. Trim flowering bushes in early spring.
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Dormant Season
Most deciduous non-flowering shrubs and bushes should be trimmed in the dormant season because the plant is more manageable, and there is less risk of damaging the plant.
The dormant season varies by region. Generally, it is from late winter to early spring.
Advantages of trimming in the dormant season:
- Address inner damage: You can see dead or damaged branches when fewer leaves are on the plant.
- Shape the plant: Seeing the shrub’s inner structure helps you shape the plant better.
- Reduce harm: Trimming in the dormant season reduces the likelihood of pests and diseases harming plants through pruning cuts.
Early Spring
Shrubs and bushes that flower in early spring should be trimmed in spring. Let the flowers bloom, then trim the plants just after they have fully flowered.
Any Season
During any season, you can trim dead branches from shrubs and bushes. Trimming dead materials will not affect the rest of the plant. Trim damaged and diseased sections at any time of the year, too.
When Not to Trim Shrubs and Bushes
Avoid trimming deciduous bushes and shrubs in late summer. Doing so may cause the plant to start new growth that won’t be sufficiently hardened before winter. New growth is susceptible to freezing and frost damage and may die off.
Trimming bushes in the fall should also be avoided since this spurs new growth.
Trimming Tip
Manual one-hand bypass pruners operate like scissors. With sharp blades, they are essential for trimming shrubs. We tested a range of options to bring you the best bypass pruners to buy.
How to Trim Shrubs and Bushes
Trim shrubs and bushes to prioritize the removal of dead plant matter, encourage air circulation, and let the plant receive light. Shaping the shrub, while important, should be one of the last steps.
- Sterilize the tools: Clean the garden tools, especially all cutting devices. Sterilize bypass pruners by rubbing isopropyl alcohol over the blades. For large pruners, mix one part bleach with nine parts water in a clean bucket. Dip the tools and quickly dry them to prevent rusting.
- Remove loose debris: Remove detached dead matter, such as broken limbs and leaves, by hand or with a leaf blower.
- Cut dead matter: Use a bypass or hand pruner to remove all dead or damaged matter.
- Remove twisted branches: Snip off branches that are twisted or interlocked. Remove branches that rub each other.
- Thin the shrub: Cut branches inside the shrub to enable air circulation and avoid mold growth.
- Shape the shrub: Prune the shrub to the desired shape and size. Be sure to trim no more than one-third of the shrub’s branches and leaves.
When to Trim Specific Bushes
Trim most deciduous bushes in late winter or early spring. Prune lilac bushes, forsythia, and other early-flowering shrubs immediately after fully blooming.
Trim in Late Winter to Early Spring
- Dogwood shrub
- Golden barberry
- Japanese barberry
- Siberian pea shrub
- Smokebush
- Sumac shrub
Trim in Early Spring (After Blooming)
FAQ
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There is no single month when it’s best to trim shrubs. The best month will generally be around the end of your area’s dormant season. For non-flowering deciduous shrubs, this is usually February or March. For spring-flowering shrubs, it is late winter to early spring (March or early April, in many areas).
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You should trim bushes in the late winter to early spring. Trimming in the fall risks killing off new growth when freezing temperatures occur.
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Do not trim bushes in mid- to late summer. Trimming bushes during this period (August and September) may stress and damage the plant. New growth may develop, and with the impending cold temperatures of winter, this new growth may become damaged.
