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All About Pruning
We prune plants to make them more beautiful, to encourage flowering, and to help them grow strong and healthy. Some trees and shrubs need never be pruned while others require a seasonal cutting to ensure a bountiful crop of blossoms the coming year. Pruning also shapes plants and discourages unwanted growth. As a rule, it is never a good idea to prune a woody plant unless you know exactly what kind of results you're looking for.

Light Pruning Keeps 'Em Healthy
All woody plants develop little problems that can lead to big diseases or unwanted growth. Careful cuts throughout the year go a long way to ensure healthier plants. Keep a strong pair of clippers in your back pocket while in the garden so you can correct these unhealthy conditions with a kindly cut.

• Remove any part of the plant that looks diseased before it can spread.

• Remove dead twigs and branches so these don't become pest entry points.

• Resolve conflicting branches by removing the smaller one because friction creates wounds and these invite problems.

• Trim off whip-like sucker growth originating at the base of the trunk-it does 'suck' growth energy from the rest of the tree.

• Do not prune later in the summer. Allow shoots to mature and prune again in winter.

Green Tip
Many woody plants are composed of two parts: the variety on top grafted onto a more rugged rootstock. The point at the base of the trunk where the two grow together is called the graft union. All growth should originate above the union, and any that comes from below it should be promptly pruned off.

Pruning the Natural Way
Unless you desire a formal garden, no plant looks natural when it's shaped into a ball or box. Each species has its own natural beauty, and pruning should enhance this form not fight it. Woody plants that must be cut back for size or shape should be done in a natural way, by working from the inside out. Strive to retain enough outer foliage so that each cut is cloaked in leaves and never looks pruned.

Pruning Deciduous Flowering Shrubs
How and when you prune deciduous flowering shrubs influences the size and quantity of blossoms, or whether they flower at all. The key is to observe when it flowers, and whether blossoms develop on the older twigs or newly grown ones.

Spring flowering shrubs blossom on twigs that matured the year before. They blossom so early there is no time to put on new growth before it is time to flower. These shrubs are pruned at the end of their flowering season to encourage more abundant summer growth that will support next year's crop of flowers. Examples include Bridalwreath, Forsythia, Lilac and Flowering Quince.

Summer flowering shrubs blossom on new twigs grown in the spring. These plants are pruned in winter while dormant, which encourages a flush of new stems in spring. These in turn bear more abundant flowers in mid to late summer. Examples include Butterfly Bush, Crape Myrtle, Rose of Sharon, and Hydrangea.

Avoid Bare 'Legs'
Shrubs are more beautiful when they are cloaked in lush foliage from top to bottom. This means all the leaves must have equal access to sunlight. If pruned or sheared wider at the top than the base, lower branches are shaded and lose their foliage. These bare 'legs' are not only unattractive, they invite weeds to grow underneath. Always prune or shear your shrubs slightly wider at the bottom for modestly covered legs.

Cuts and Clippers
Pruning is a lot like surgery, and you need nice clean cuts if the wound is to heal properly. Nice neat cuts require you to use the proper tool for the job. The tool must be of high quality that won't bend or break under heavy use. The blades must be durable steel that can be sharpened often because ragged cuts and pruning accidents are often related to dull blades. There are three simple tools every gardener should own:

• A pair of strong, well-made hand clippers for the small cuts.

• A long-handled 'loppers' for medium diameter limbs.

• A folding pruning saw for the largest branches.

Formal sheared hedges or topiaries will require two slightly different tools. Manual pruning shears should be freshly sharpened to make the job far easier on you. Electric hedge clippers do the job in seconds flat, but use caution to avoid scalping which exposes interior bare twigs that may never grow leaves. Be sure to regularly clean and sanitize all of your pruning tools.

Recycle Your Prunings
Monrovia's commitment to the environment includes relieving landfills of excessive organic matter that could be put to better use in gardens. If you have a lot of pruning to do, recycle the clippings in your home or garden. Cut larger branches into firewood. Rent a chipper-shredder machine to render smaller material into valuable mulch. Fine twigs and leaves can be added to your compost heap to decompose into beneficial soil-building amendment.