Pruning

Pruning is one of the most important landscape maintenance activities for keeping your plants healthy and looking their best.

Our pruning services include: pruning and/or trimming trees and shrubs and cutting back perennials and ornamental grasses. Read below for more information on how we can help you keep your plants looking better and living longer.

WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU

HOMEOWNERS – You don't need to be embarrassed by overgrown trees and shrubs. Ground Up can take care of all your landscape maintenance needs, so you won't have to spend all of your precious free time doing yard work.

BUSINESSES – We can provide all of your year round landscape needs. With over 30 years of experience, you can depend on Ground Up for professional, timely service.

TREES AND SHRUBS: There are actually many reasons for (and benefits of) pruning or trimming trees and shrubs:

Landscaping Idea #5
For Front Yards

Problem:
Overgrown Shrubs
Blocking Windows or Doorways,
Overtaking Driveways or Sidewalks

Solution:

Consider replacing existing shrubs that have outgrown the space where they were planted with shrubs that will grow to a mature size suitable for the space without requiring frequent pruning to keep them in bounds. Other options for replacing shrubs where the available space is limited include using:

  • Shrubs that have a more upright shape rather than a rounded or sprawling shape
  • Upright perennials or tall groundcovers
  • Climbing roses or vines

When selecting plants, be aware of the mature height of plants in relation to overhead utilities, trees, and other overhanging structures.


For other landscape ideas, click here.

  • APPEARANCE: Trimming and/or pruning shrubs to maintain their natural or contoured size and shape or for more flowers/fruit.
    • Natural form: Usually light, selective pruning to remove any water shoots, suckers, or other wayward branches that might detract from the natural habit of the plant.
    • Contoured form: Includes sheared hedges, formal foundation plantings (where shrubs are trimmed to a geometric shape), or topiary. May be done once or several times a year depending on the desired size and appearance.
    • Thinning: Removing some of the old growth of large, fast-growing shrubs (especially deciduous) to improve their appearance and flowering and to contain their spread.
    • Timing: Pruning at the right time of year to encourage optimum flowering and to avoid winter damage.
  • HEALTH: A healthy plant will be much more attractive and will live longer than a plant that is not maintained. Pruning for health includes removing dead, diseased, crossing, or broken limbs.
  • REJUVENATION: Cutting back (hard pruning) is used to:
    • Invigorate old, tired shrubs
    • Control growth
    • Improve the shape of the plant
  • SAFETY: Two examples include:
    • Removing low-hanging tree limbs to make mowing and navigation around your yard safer.
    • Removing limbs that are rubbing against walls and fences or threatening to come through a window.
  • TRAINING: Pruning or removing unwanted branches of young trees to improve the plant’s appearance and health AND to avoid the high cost of tree work later on when they are much larger and taller.

NOTE: If you find that you have to frequently prune – or frequently pay someone to prune – plants in your landscape because they are too big for the location, you might consider replacing them with smaller, slower-growing plants. Because they are slower-growing, they will need much less pruning than the fast-growing monsters you’ve come to know and regret. The new plants may cost a little more to purchase than the existing plants (because they take longer to reach a marketable size), but just think of all the time and money you’ll be saving by not having to prune them multiple times a year.

PERENNIALS AND ORNAMENTAL GRASSES: Perennials and ornamental grasses are often used to inject variety and color into a landscape. Just like trees and shrubs, applying a little care when needed will keep your perennials and ornamental grasses attractive and healthy.

Once the blooms of many perennials are spent, deadheading can help stimulate some repeat flowering. (Of course, some gardeners like to leave the seedheads for birds.) When the foliage of many perennials is fading at the end of its season, it’s best to cut back the old growth at that time rather than waiting until spring when new growth is coming up – it’s not only easier this way but looks better, too. (If the perennial is evergreen, it’s best to wait until the end of the winter season to cut back the old ratty-looking foliage and leave any that is still green and growing.)

For ornamental grasses, cutting back depends basically on whether or not the plant looks good in fall and winter weather or if, like some gardeners, you like the look of the seedheads or you want to leave them for the birds through the winter. Otherwise, if your ornamental grass grows in mid to late spring or early summer and turns brown in winter, cut them back once they’ve turned brown. If your ornamental grasses put out most of their growth in spring and still look pretty good when cooler weather starts, consider cutting them back in spring before the new growth. If your plants are evergreen, you may just want to “comb” out any ratty-looking foliage in late winter/early spring.

If you need help with pruning trees and shrubs or cutting back perennials and ornamental grasses, you can depend on our expert staff to provide professional results based on your needs and the best practices for the types of plants in your landscape.

Don’t know when’s the best time to prune that flowering shrub?
Not sure of the best way to do it or how much to take off?
Contact us, we can help.