What we trim
- Hedges and privacy rows
- Yews, arborvitae, and junipers
- Boxwood and other small shrubs
- Flowering shrubs like lilac, hydrangea, and spirea
- Overgrown foundation plantings
- Ornamental grasses and perennials
Shape hedges wider at the bottom
A hedge that is wider at the top than the bottom shades out its own lower branches, and they go bare. We trim hedges slightly narrower at the top so light reaches all the way down and the hedge stays full.
Timing for flowering shrubs
Spring bloomers
Lilac, forsythia, and many viburnums set next year's flowers soon after they bloom. Trim them right after flowering, or you cut off next year's flowers.
Summer bloomers
Many summer blooming shrubs, like some hydrangeas and spirea, bloom on new growth and can be trimmed in late winter or early spring.
Evergreens
Yews and arborvitae are usually trimmed in late spring to early summer after the new growth comes in. Avoid cutting back into old, bare wood on many evergreens, because they may not grow back.
Rescuing overgrown shrubs
Some shrubs, like lilac, dogwood, and many deciduous shrubs, can be brought back by removing a portion of the oldest stems at ground level each year for a few years. This is called renewal pruning. Other shrubs are too far gone and are better replaced. We will tell you which is which. Replacing? See landscape installation.
Trees too
If the plant is really a small tree, or the job is up high, our tree crew handles it. See tree trimming.