Did you know that many trees and shrubs should only be pruned during the winter or dormant months? Pruning during warmer months exposes many varieties of ornamental trees and shrubs to bacteria and disease. This is true for many other tree and plant species as well but particularly ornamental varieties because of their need for more frequent pruning.
From the start, trees sold in the landscape industry are first selected and pruned at nurseries until we (usually the 3rd or 4th handler) plant them in your yard. This type of care shouldn’t stop once planted. Here are a few reasons you should consider regular pruning:
- Thinning ornamental trees (crab trees for instance) allows sunlight and air flow to filter through tree canopy to reduce risk of disease. Too much suckering and overgrowth prevents this.
- Thinning encourages fruiting and more robust flowering.
- Thinning controls plant size, longevity, and growth direction.
- Pruning ensures healthy growth and discourages overgrowth into your home’s sidewalk, house or patios environments.
- We want to maintain the trees we install. They are a crucial part of any landscape plan and anchor the other elements of softscapes. A low cost annual investment is worth it.