Dear Homeowner,

Winter pruning of landscape shrubs is an ideal time to help rejuvenate old material and adjust plants to fit in their proper spaces. This technique of pruning sometimes removes up to three quarters of the existing plant and is only done on the appropriate plant material that needs this type of readjustment. It is important to keep in mind that constant shearing of individual plants only allowing it to grow less than an inch a year will eventually cause the decline of the plant itself. The recommended winter or dormant pruning of many plant materials is essential for long term health of plants where growth may need to be adjusted from time to time.

Winter or dormant season pruning is typically done from late December through March. There is an additional hard pruning  period  in mid spring from late April to early May on those early spring flowering shrubs like azaleas and forsythia that may need this corrective type pruning. It is essential after doing this corrective pruning that a good supplemental fertilizer is applied to the plants to allow them to take up additional new strengths that will be required to flush out new growth in spring.

We will meet with individual Landscape committee members on properties where we feel this type of pruning is appropriate and also arrange meetings with individuals if necessary to explain when and what the shrubs will look like when this is completed. After making this recommendation, if communities or individuals decide not to move forward with this type of corrective and horticultural simulative pruning, there may be additional billing later in the year to do the pruning to correct insect or disease problems that could have been prevented or if we come back and remove large amounts of material throughout the growing season.

Todd Guilmette

President

Unique Environmental