Winter is the best time for trimming trees, shearing shrubs

Winter is upon us, and the trees are sleeping. Time to get those trees trimmed, shrubs sheared, and your roses pruned.

It’s time to think about our trees and shrubbery. It is a great time to have the annual pruning done while they are dormant. Fruit trees especially benefit from proper pruning to protect branches from breaking and to increase the quality of fruit production. Trees that bear fruit at the branch ends, tip bearers, are particularly susceptible to breakage due to heavy loads imposed on the outer ends of the branches. Another benefit to regular pruning of your fruit trees is to keep the fruit within reach for ease of harvesting and reaping the “fruit” of your labor.

I love to take a cup of tea and my pruning shears on a Saturday morning and do my trimming—very therapeutic! I think I can even hear my favorite shrubs calling me to come over and give them a little attention. My Japanese Maple seems a little jealous of all the time I spend on the Wisteria even though I try to convince her that she is my favorite. But that unruly Wisteria needs so much more attention just to keep it from taking over the world! So I find that keeping the peace amongst all my trees and plants in my back yard requires some “cutting edge” plant psychology, a little tender loving care, and sometimes a machete!

If you are not sure of the proper pruning of your trees and shrubs, check back on our blog for more tips and “how-tos” in coming blog posts. I’ll be talking about where, why and how to make a pruning cut. Making the wrong cut can affect your tree for decades.

Or you can have your trees and shrubs trimmed by our tree care professionals, who work under my instruction (I’m an ISA certified arborist). Having your trees cared for by a professional on a regular basis has the added benefit of early diagnosis of disease and insect infestations. Early detection means easier control and minimizing the damage done to the trees. Give us a call for a free estimate, and do take advantage of our “10% off” special for work completed in January and February.