Pruning is an essential part of keeping your landscape looking tidy and professional. It involves removing blooms, leaves, stems, or branches because they are dead, infected, or simply look out of place. The tools needed to keep your plants trimmed are discussed in the Tools section.
There are several types of pruning that can be done:
--Deadheading: This the most simple kind of pruning and can be done with your bare hands or scissors. You may notice as the summer passes that some blooms on your annuals and perennials are starting to look not so good. When this happens the plants needs to be "deadheaded". No, this process does not involve tributes to Jerry Garcia or colorful bears. All you need to do is pinch or cut off the dead or dying blooms, leaving the healthy ones. Not only does this make your plants more attractive, it also prevents the plant from wasting energy on those dying flowers, making more energy available for the rest of the plant.
--Pruning Trees and Shrubs: The concept of deadheading also applies to trees and shrubs when branches or stems have died. If you notice that there are dead branches on a plant prune it by cutting off the dead growth as close to the main stem as possible. If you are cutting off a large limb from a tree you should apply a special tree wound salve that you can buy at any garden center. This will prevent infection from attacking the open wound until the tree is able to heal it.
Branches and stems can die for many reasons. It is important to remove any dead limbs because the death could be the result of a pest or disease infection and you want to remove this infection from the plant as quickly as possible to prevent spread. Also, if you notice that any part of a plant is infected with pests prune it off immediately. Quick action can save the plant and can also save you money on pesticides and sprays that my not be necessary unless the whole plant is overrun.
--Pruning for Looks: As a tree, shrub, or perennial gets older it might start to develop branches and stems that look completely out of place. This problem can be alleviated by pruning off the offending branch or stem. In this case it is not necessary to cut the stem all the way back to the main part of the plant. Just give the plant a little trim. Don't go crazy with it though. Only prune what really looks bad.
--Pruning for Size: As time passes some shrubs may begin to outgrow the space allotted to them or just start to get too big. A large scale cut back can be put into place at this point. Simply cut the shrub back to its desired size. If you are going to cut back a flowering shrub make sure to do it just after it flowers. Blooming shrubs flower on the last year's growth so by pruning right after flowering you give the plant time to grow before its bloom cycle starts again. If you cut back too late in the season or in the spring flowering will be greatly reduced.