Overgrown lilac bushes crowding a front porch often make homeowners wonder what to do with them. Property owners in Hot Springs share this common concern. Running New Look Tree around Hot Springs, New Look Tree gets asked about shrub and bush maintenance almost as much as tree work. Residents want to keep their yards looking tidy, but they are worried about harming their plants by cutting them at the wrong time or cutting them down too far.
This information covers the most common questions New Look Tree hears from local homeowners about trimming shrubs in the southern Hills.
When is the best time of year to trim bushes in Hot Springs?
The best time to trim bushes in Hot Springs depends entirely on what kind of shrub you are dealing with, but generally, late winter or early spring right before new growth starts is a safe bet for most deciduous plants. Here in Hot Springs, our spring winds can be brutal, so getting heavy pruning done before the leaves come in helps the plant focus its energy. For spring-blooming shrubs like lilacs or spirea, wait until right after they finish flowering. If you trim them in the fall or early winter, you will just chop off next year's blooms.
How far back can I safely cut my overgrown shrubs?
A good rule of thumb is the one-third rule—never remove more than one-third of a plant's total mass in a single season. If you hack an old, overgrown caragana or juniper right down to the woody stems all at once, you might shock it to death. Some hardy shrubs can handle radical rejuvenation pruning, but you need to know what you are working with first.
Do my evergreens need different care than deciduous bushes?
Evergreens do need different care than deciduous bushes. Deciduous shrubs drop their leaves and go dormant, giving you a lot more forgiveness if you make a bad cut. Evergreens like pines, spruces, and certain junipers do not produce new growth from old, bare wood. If you cut back past the green needles into brown wood on a pine or cedar, that branch is not coming back. Shape them gently while they are actively growing in the late spring, but do not shear them like hedge walls unless they are specifically meant for it.
Why are the insides of my bushes turning brown and woody?
The insides of bushes turning brown and woody usually happens when the outside canopy gets so thick and bushy that sunlight can not reach the interior branches. Without light, the plant stops putting energy into those inner leaves, and they die off. Regular thinning cuts—where you take out entire branches all the way back to the main trunk or ground—will open up the center of the bush and let the sun back in.
Should I use hedge shears or hand pruners?
Choosing between hedge shears or hand pruners comes down to the look you want and the health of the plant. Electric hedge shears are great for formal hedges because they make fast work of flat surfaces. However, they chop right through leaves and create jagged edges. For natural-looking landscape shrubs, bypass hand pruners let you make clean cuts at the right angles, keeping disease and pests out while maintaining the plant's natural shape.
Can trimming fix a bush that's blocking my windows or driveway?
Temporary trimming can get a plant out of your way, but if a shrub is constantly outgrowing its space, pruning is just putting a temporary fix on a bad plant choice. Foundation plantings in Hot Springs often get planted way too close to the house. If a five-foot shrub wants to be a fifteen-foot monster, you are better off digging it out and replacing it with something dwarf-sized rather than spending every weekend fighting it with a pair of clippers.
For homes and businesses in Hot Springs, New Look Tree provides Shrub Trimming services.