There are many kinds of hand pruning shears. Most of them are designed for cutting stems up to 1/2 inch in diameter. Attempting to cut larger branches risks making a poor cut and/or ruining the shears.

Crown lifting involves the removal of the lower branches to a given height. The height is achieved by the removal of whole branches or removing the parts of branches which extend below the desired height. The branches are normally not lifted to more than one third of the tree's total height. A straight edge is the hallmark of a formally trimmed hedge, and in this article, John Sosnowski, horticulturist at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, explains how he achieves this look using stakes and string as a guide. He also offers a list of shrubs that are suitable candidates for formal hedges. Read more… Watch the video…Pruning tools | Basic pruning techniques | Pruning shrubs and vines | Pruning trees | Pruning roses 

Whether you are a beginner or just need a refresher, below you’ll find links to pruning articles and videos on the following topics: Established clematis fit into three main pruning groups consistent with flowering times. Pruning Group 1These roses have great variation in size, growth, and flowering performance and generally only bloom once during a growing season. Arborist Melissa Levangie explains how to clean your pruners, then sharpen them using diamond files. Read more… For greater strength, branches selected for permanent scaffolds must have a wide angle of attachment to the trunk. Branch angles less than 30 degrees from the main trunk result in a very high percentage of breakage, while those between 60 and 70 degrees have a very low breakage rate.

Some shrubs that bloom after spring usually do so from buds which are formed on shoots that grow the same spring. These shrubs should be pruned in later winter to promote vigorous shoot growth in spring. Examples of shrubs that bloom on current season’s growth include: Scientific name Some woody plants tend to bleed profusely from cuts, such as mesquite and maple. Some callus over slowly, such as magnolia. In this case, they are better pruned during active growth when they can more readily heal. Woody plants that flower early in the season, on spurs that form on wood that has matured the year before, such as apples, should be pruned right after flowering as later pruning will sacrifice flowers the following season. Forsythia, azaleas and lilacs all fall into this category. Topping: Topping is a very severe form of pruning which involves removing all branches and growths down to a few large branches or to the trunk of the tree. When performed correctly it is used on very young trees, and can be used to begin training younger trees for pollarding or for trellising to form an espalier. Many of these deciduous shrubs produce flowers in spring or early summer. Forsythia is a vivid common example. To maintain their profuse floral displays, you should cut out a proportion of the wood in late spring or early summer. If left unpruned, these plants often have lots of twiggy growth and sparse spattering of flowers. When deciding how and when to trim clematis, don’t remove a developing bud. If you see buds developing when pruning clematis vines, you may be pruning at the wrong time. Clematis Pruning GroupsSharper tools are less likely to crush the plant as they cut and take less effort to use. Clean tools lower any risk of spreading disease from one plant to another. These shrubs sometimes will produce what I call an independent shoot that just zooms out from the base. You may be able to train them in to your plan and basic framework, but if it’s not possible, just cut them out at the base to avoid the branches from becoming congested and not having the balance you want. Cane-growing shrubs are shrubs that grow from multiple canes, not a single trunk. Examples are forsythia, viburnum, lilac, and spirea, among many others. Maintenance pruning keeps them shapely, but even for overgrown shrubs there’s a remedy. Read more… Early flushes of flowers are produced on the previous year’s growth, but later flushes form on the tips of the current year’s growth Plants can be renovated in late winter or early spring or (for early flowering plants) after flowering.