Wondering what shrubs and bushes you can safely prune and trim in the middle of summer to keep them healthier, fuller and looking their best? Believe it or not, July is actually one of the best times of the year to trim several popular landscape bushes!
One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make with pruning is assuming every shrub should be cut back in late winter or early spring. While that timing works well for many plants, several common landscape shrubs actually respond far better to a light mid-summer pruning after they finish putting on their biggest flush of growth.
In fact, giving the right shrubs a quick trim in July can help improve their shape, encourage thicker growth and even increase blooming next season. Here is a look at six shrubs that benefit from a mid-summer haircut – and a few that are better left alone until another time.
6 Bushes You Need To Trim In The Summer
Boxwood
If there is one shrub that loves a summer trim, it’s boxwood. Whether your boxwoods are used as hedges, borders or foundation plantings, a light pruning in mid-summer helps keep them dense, compact and beautifully shaped.
By July, the spring flush of growth has hardened off, making it the perfect time to remove any uneven branches and reshape the plant. The key is to trim only the fresh green growth. Avoid cutting deep into the older brown wood, as boxwoods are slow to produce new growth from those older stems. Just remember that a light trim is all that’s needed. Heavy pruning is best saved for late winter or very early spring.
Most importantly, when pruning boxwoods or any shrub – always be sure to use sharp hedge shears or hand pruners. This will give you the cleanest cuts and prevent damage to bushes with dull, tearing cuts into its wood. Affiliate Link: Fiskars Power-Lever Extendable Hedge Shears, Self-Sharpening Serrated Steel Blades
Burning Bush
Burning bush is another excellent shrub to lightly prune in the middle of summer. Left alone, these shrubs can quickly become oversized and lose their attractive rounded shape.
A quick trimming after the first flush of growth keeps the plant neat while encouraging thicker branching throughout the shrub. It also helps sunlight reach the interior, which can reduce sparse growth over time.
Avoid removing more than about one-third of the plant during summer. The goal isn’t to drastically reduce its size, but simply to shape and maintain it. This will help it maintain its shape and continue to flourish.
Weigela
Once weigela finishes blooming in late spring or early summer, it’s ready for a little attention. In fact, pruning shortly after flowering is one of the best ways to keep the shrub blooming heavily year after year.
Start by removing any old flower stems and trimming back a few of the longest branches. You can also remove a few older stems at ground level if the plant has become crowded.
This encourages fresh new growth that will produce next year’s flowers. As an added bonus, many newer reblooming varieties will often reward you with another lighter flush of blooms later in the summer after pruning.
Why You Need To Prune & Trim Back Lilac In The Summer
Lilacs should always be pruned soon after they finish flowering. Waiting until fall or winter usually means removing the flower buds that are already forming for next spring.
A mid-summer pruning allows plenty of time for the shrub to produce healthy new shoots while preserving next year’s blooms.
Begin by removing spent flower clusters. Then thin out a few of the oldest, thickest stems near the base if the shrub has become overcrowded. This helps improve airflow and encourages vigorous new growth from the center of the plant.
Spirea
Spring-blooming spirea responds beautifully to a summer trim after flowering ends. Once the blooms begin fading, shear the plant back by several inches to remove old flowers and tidy up the overall shape.
Many varieties will respond by producing fresh green growth and often a second round of blooms later in the season. But it also helps this bush from becoming overly woody – a common problem for many with spirea plants with three to five years of age.
If your spirea has become older and woody, remove a few of the oldest stems at the base every year. This simple task keeps the shrub young, vigorous and full of flowers.
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Giving A Trim To Your Privet Bushes In Summer
If there is known for growing quickly, it’s privet, which is exactly why it benefits from a mid-summer pruning! Whether grown as a hedge or a standalone shrub, regular trimming keeps it thick and attractive.
A July or early August trim helps prevent the plant from becoming leggy while encouraging dense branching from top to bottom.
If you grow privet as a privacy hedge, this is usually the perfect time for its second trimming. Just avoid cutting it back too severely late in the summer, as tender new growth may not have enough time to harden before winter.
A Few Shrubs To Leave Alone
While these six shrubs appreciate a mid-summer trim, you should not prune a few others during this time of the year. Bigleaf hydrangeas, oakleaf hydrangeas, azaleas and rhododendrons all begin forming next year’s flower buds shortly after they finish blooming.
Pruning these shrubs in the middle or late summer can remove those developing buds and greatly reduce flowering the following year. When in doubt, always check whether your shrub blooms on old wood before reaching for the pruners. See our article: What To Do With Hydrangeas After They Bloom In The Summer – And Why It Matters!
Here is to pruning the bushes that need a little trim in the middle of summer. And – to healthier shrubs and bushes next Spring! Happy Gardening – Jim & Mary
The Farm @ Old World Garden
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 16 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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