best time for pruning shrubs - Ask Extension
Is now, late June, a good time for pruning shrubs such as red twig dogwood or low growing juniper? When is the best time?
Knowledgebase
best time for pruning shrubs #874686
Asked June 25, 2024, 5:20 PM EDT
Is now, late June, a good time for pruning shrubs such as red twig dogwood or low growing juniper? When is the best time?
Larimer County Colorado
Expert Response
Hi Kathleen,
The best time to prune dogwood would be in early spring, prior to budbreak. It's not a bad time to prune now, if it needs to be done. These shrubs also respond to renewal pruning, which is removing 1/3 of the oldest growth (the branches that are the biggest) each year - this will reduce the height of the shrub and also encourage suckering, which will be more red in color.
Junipers are best left unpruned, if possible. They don't grow like deciduous plants and grow from pruned growth points. They can be thinned, but cuts should be made very deliberately.
The best time to prune dogwood would be in early spring, prior to budbreak. It's not a bad time to prune now, if it needs to be done. These shrubs also respond to renewal pruning, which is removing 1/3 of the oldest growth (the branches that are the biggest) each year - this will reduce the height of the shrub and also encourage suckering, which will be more red in color.
Junipers are best left unpruned, if possible. They don't grow like deciduous plants and grow from pruned growth points. They can be thinned, but cuts should be made very deliberately.
