Pruning Guide

Why prune? 5 good reasons (Never prune without a good reason!)

Remove dead wood to support plant health
Create safe, structurally sound specimens
Enhance a plant’s ornamental qualities or train to pleasing shapes
Stimulate vigorous growth (hedges)
Enhance flowering and fruiting

Tool Selection

Use the right tool for the job. Keep WD40 and a sharpener on hand. Keep tools clean, oiled and sharp.

How to Prune

Plan cuts carefully. Make a cut, step back and assess the next cut, repeat.
Prune no more than 1/3 of the plant at a time. Plants need to photosynthesize and will replace lost leaves rapidly by producing watersprouts or suckers. Exceptions are roses or shrubs that can be pruned low to the ground in spring (willows, red twig dogwoods).
No tree topping. Removing the head of a tree creates problems in the overall structure of the tree. Thinning the tree over time or removing the tree all-together are usually better options.

Small Branch Cutting

Good cuts are about ¼” above a growth-bud or branch and made at an angle facing away from the bud.
Cutting too close to a bud damages the bud; cutting too far away leaves a bit of stem to rot on the plant.

Large Branch Cutting

Branch Collar

Where a branch attaches to the trunk or another large branch, there is an area of raised bark that contains the materials the plant needs to heal after the cut.

This area should stay intact. Make cuts parallel to the branch that is remaining, just above the branch collar .

Cutting too close will inhibit healing after the cut.

Making the Cut

Make a small undercut about 2" away from the trunk.
Make a cut on top of the branch near the first cut, but farther away from the trunk.
Remove the rest of the branch.
Make a clean cut outside of the branch collar.

Note: this process may have to be started closer to the tip of a large branch and repeated closer to the trunk to reduce weight on branches.

Special Selection Guides

Safety

Take a few important steps before heading out to prune. Observe the task and estimate the potential dangers.

Protect your eyes and ears. Close proximity to falling or poking branches can be dangerous. Be prepared.
Wear protective clothing.
Use the right ladder for the job, make sure you have level footing and do not overreach.

Five Types of Pruning Cuts

Thinning – remove branches back to a point of origin or junction with another branch. This lets you reduce the bulk of the plant and causes minimal regrowth.
Heading – remove just part of a stem or branch. This stimulates lateral growth just below the cut and causes new growth to be fuller. It can cause plants to be heavier at the tips.
Deadheading is removing spent flowers to encourage new flowers to form or to clean up the overall look of the plant.
Shearing – indiscriminate cuts for shape. Used commonly when pruning hedges.
Pinching – pinching off the terminal bud (bud at the tip of a stem) to create a fuller plant. Used mostly in annuals and perennials.

When to prune?

Spring flowering trees and shrubs set flowers on last year’s growth. Prune right after flowers have finished bloom. Pruning in autumn will remove flower buds for the following spring.
Summer and fall flowering trees and shrubs set bloom in this year’s growth. Prune in early spring to encourage vigorous shoots and profuse flowering.

For more detailed pruning times:

Download our Pruning Calendar

Espaliered Trees

Espalier fruit trees are a great way to save space and have fresh home-grown fruit too!

At Portland Nursery we offer apples, Asian pears, European pears and cherries in a fence shape. Each tree has 2-3 tiers, with 2-6 different varieties grafted to a central stem. Our growers choose the combinations so we usually don’t know what varieties are available until trees arrive on site.

See our Espaliered Fruit Tree Page

Pruning Fruit Trees

Different types of fruit trees require specific pruning practices due to their growth and fruit bearing habits. Please refer to the table in our handout for specifics.

Pruning & Training Fruit Trees

Find the best Trees for your Garden

We carry a wide variety of trees year-round. These represent only a fraction of what you will find and are some of our favorites. Note: Viewing a Native Plant will take you into our Native Plant section.