How to Trim Shrubs?

As time goes on shrubs will grow and change their shape, which is why you will need to know how to trim your shrubs. This is especially true if you want your shrubs to look really good.

What You Must Remember

There are certain times when you should trim shrubs. This depends upon the type of shrubs you have. For more information on these topics check out University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Best Time to Prune Shrubs.

Things You Will Need

• Hedge shears or a hedge saw
• A pair of hand pruners

Determining How You Want Your Shrubs To Look

Once you have your supplies, you will want to take a minute to decide what shape you want to trim your shrubs into. Make sure to do this before you ever begin trimming. Keep in mind that if you cut all of the branches to the same length, your shrubs will look artificial, which can be good if you have a really formal garden. To create a more natural look, use your hand clippers to cut back each individual branch to right above its.

Begin Trimming

Use your hedge shears or your hedge saw to level off the top of your shrubs by cutting any leaves or branches that are outside of the way that you wish for your shrubs to look. Make sure that these cuts are made at a slant so that moisture won’t collect on their tips, which isn’t healthy.

Cutting Branches Back To The Bud

Trimming your shrubs back to their bud encourages new branches to go in the direction that you want them to go. Each branch will be a slightly different length though but it will give you a more natural, much neater look. Whenever your shrubs are trimmed in this way, they won’t need to be trimmed nearly as often.

Making Everything Neat

Use your hand pruners to neaten up any pieces that are extending too far out. You don’t want to simply chop all the way around your shrubs as this will not look very attractive since it will encourage your shrubs to grow out in uncontrolled spikes and tufts.

Safety Tips To Remember

• Whenever you are using your hedge shears or your hedge saw, make sure to keep safety foremost in your mind. This means that you should also wear eye protection so that none of the trimmings hit you in your eyes.
• Never trim your shrubs after the first frost occurs.
• Only remove a small amount of growth at a time.
• Make sure that you wear gloves in order to keep your hands and skin from being damaged.