Pruning at the right time and in the right way is an essential component of a sound landscape maintenance and garden care program.
Artful pruning requires horticultural knowledge and a specialized skill set from the crews performing day-to-day garden care tasks.
Our garden managers and landscape maintenance staff at Surrounds share a commitment to our signature methods of holistic garden care. They understand that they are responsible for fulfilling the landscape architect’s vision.

Why Expert Pruning is Essential to a Successful Landscape Maintenance Program
Pruning stimulates growth, admits air and light into the interior of shrubs, removes broken or diseased parts, and guides the plant into filling out its natural shape.
Regular pruning helps to perfect the appearance of your garden and contributes to plant health by:
- Controlling the height and width of plants
- Guiding the growth pattern and natural shape
- Preventing overgrowth – which can cause disease or breakage
- Boosting flower production
- Optimizing limb structure for strength
Our garden managers do almost all of their pruning by hand because hand pruning, also called “punch pruning,” is healthier for plants, especially shrubs like boxwood.
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You have probably seen other landscape maintenance companies racing around a property using electric shears. That technique is fast, but it only trims off the new growth on the exterior of a plant.
Over time, the interior of the plant may become overgrown and densely packed. Light and air can’t penetrate. And that can cause disease.
We train our crews to anticipate “what the plant is going to do.” So, if we know a shrub typically grows 18” during the season and we want to keep it at windowsill height when it’s blooming, we cut it back 18” below the sill while it is still dormant.
This makes a big difference because, if your landscape maintenance people wait until the plant emerges from dormancy and starts growing, they end up trimming off the new growth every month. Continuously shearing the plant to control the height causes it to become thick and unhealthy.
If you prune it back appropriately before it starts growing, the plant will fill out naturally. Then it just needs periodic light pruning to keep it looking nice.
Pruning Techniques: The Secret to Spectacular Landscape Care
Your garden maintenance people must understand which limbs to cut, where, and which to leave alone. They will employ a variety of techniques depending on the type of plant and the objective of the pruning process.
Terms for common pruning techniques include:

Heading: Cutting long, single stems above a healthy bud. This encourages lower branches to bush out.
Cutbacks: Cutting plants to the ground during dormancy to stimulate vigorous spring growth from the base. Roses and butterfly bushes benefit from this dramatic treatment because it keeps them compact and able to produce more blooms.
Thinning: Also referred to as punch pruning, this technique opens up the middle of the plant to admit more sunlight–which keeps the interior branches healthy and encourages new growth.
Shearing: Trimming the plant around the outside to maintain a manicured shape and structure.
The way we see it, it’s all about how you apply the techniques.
The guiding principle for our landscape management crews is what we call “design intent.” How does this plant fit into the landscape?
Is it meant to join with others into a hedge? If it’s an ornamental tree, are we trying to maintain symmetry among multiple trees of the same shape? Is this plant intended to drape over and soften the edges of a walkway?
The answers to these questions arise from a thorough understanding of the landscape design style, the natural tendencies of the plant, and the preference of the client.
Specialty Pruning Techniques
Here are two examples of specialty techniques that complement the growth patterns of a specific plant:
Pruning Technique 1: Roses
In early spring we start thinning them out, reducing their size, preparing them to put on new growth. This practice rejuvenates the plant. Getting rid of old, dead material lets them breathe and bush back out.
In this case, we are pruning in anticipation of what we expect that plant to look like in July. If it’s a shrub rose, we may want them to bush out full and low. If it’s climbing a trellis, we want to anticipate how high and how much spreading we want to see.
A shrub rose will push out 18 to 22 inches of new growth each year. Knowing this, you can decide where you want to keep it and prune it accordingly.
It’s imperative to get your roses caned back early in the season. You can cut them to the ground if you want. Roses may look delicate, but they are tough plants.
Pruning Technique 2: Fruit Trees & Shrubs
Edibles are becoming very popular among clients and in the industry. Growers have come out with new cultivars that look attractive and produce edible fruit. They’re breeding them for aesthetic appeal as well as fruit production. Pruning is critical to the successful growth of fruit trees. We are pruning to maximize fruit production, and for structural strength, so the tree can support the weight of its fruit.
Artful Pruning Requires Expertise and Finesse
We never want the landscape to look” trimmed”. That’s the hard part. We are constantly doing little tweaks to keep plants at the desired size but retain their natural form and beauty.
Remember this: Your landscape maintenance people should not be shearing everything—even if your gardens are formal style. It’s not necessary. You can have the same formal look without putting a set of shears on it.
Pruning is one of the best things you can do for your shrubs. Well-pruned shrubs will grow fuller with a more attractive shape, produce more flowers, and be healthier overall. Artful pruning takes your landscape to the next level turning it into the balanced and captivating work of art it is intended to be.
If you’d like to discuss the possibility of taking your landscaping to the next level, please schedule a phone consultation with one of our landscape management specialists.
Are you wondering how to bring out the fullest expression in your landscape and gardens? Our eBook: Choosing the Right Kind of Landscape Maintenance Firm, is full of valuable information to help you understand the fundamental differences between landscape maintenance companies.