Pruning and trimming are fundamental parts of your landscape’s health, beauty, and longevity. With the changing seasons, we have in the Asheville area, trimming and pruning should be done at certain times of the year, based on the type of plants, shrubs, and flowers you have. Though similar, trimming and pruning are not the same thing.s.

The two are often used interchangeably, however, trimming and pruning serve two distinct and important purposes. Trimming helps shape to your plants and maintain their ideal size within your landscape design. This is ideal for plants like the box hedges and usually involves trimming the ends of all the plants’ branches.

Pruning differs from trimming in a few ways, though many people confuse them. Trimming is done for looks and branch removal, whereas pruning is done for the health of the plant.

Pruning is a more selective process. By strategically removing branches throughout the plant, pruning promotes growth, encourages lush greenery and blooms, and helps avoid the spread of disease by preemptively removing any dead or diseased branches. It also creates better air circulation and light for your plants and your overall landscape.

There are also methods of pruning that involve winterizing plants by shearing off certain branches to allow them to “heal” to survive the winter. For example, summer and fall trees should be pruned before they become dormant for the winter. Plants that bloom in the spring should be pruned after their flowers lose color.

Pruning is done on an as-needed basis, but can also be done once a month or as part of our trimming service. If you have any questions about proper pruning, feel free to contact us.

The ideal time to prune and trim your plants will vary based on the type of plants you have. For example, most deciduous plants that don’t bloom should be pruned and trimmed before the start of the growing season, in late March or early April. For plants that do produce blooms, pruning after blooming has occurred is the best approach.

The safest route is to hire our team of professionals. We’ll see what types of plants you have and recommend the best time to trim and prune, resulting in healthier, thicker growth.

If it’s the first of the year, coming into fall, or you just feel it’s time for your plants to be trimmed or pruned, give us a call at 828-412-0428 for a free estimate.