Home & Garden Trees & Houseplants

How to Trim Evergreen Trees

By Home & Garden Last updated Tuesday, April/30/2024

1). Prune evergreens in very late spring or early summer every year.
2). Cut off any branches that are broken, dead or diseased. Remove branches all the way back to the main trunk.
3). Cut back the branch tips on pine and other narrow-leaf evergreens by removing half of the new growth the trees put on the previous year.
4). Prune broad-leaf evergreens by removing (deadheading) faded flowers from rhododendrons and azaleas promptly. Cut out any broken branches, but avoid cutting into areas of the plant that have few leaves. General pruning to shape them is not usually necessary unless a branch is growing out of sorts to the rest of the shrub.

Holly should be pruned in early December in order to use the cuttings for holiday decorations. Holly can be heavily pruned and it will bounce back. Cut off branches that are equal in length, to maintain the shape of the bush.

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