Take more than a little off the top of overgrown shrubs
Shrubs can provide beauty, blooms, and balance to your yard. But if they grow to out-of-control heights or shapes, it’s time to learn how to trim overgrown shrubs.
You can trim overgrown shrubs with a little work and cleanup, but it’s important to make a plan and follow the shrub’s natural growing pattern, cutting no more than one-third of the growth. Let’s review the steps that will help make your shrubs tidy while avoiding common trimming pitfalls.
If your shrubs look large, tangled, and are encroaching on spaces where they don’t belong, it’s more than an eyesore. Beyond downgrading your curb appeal, these overgrown shrubs can cause several problems, including:
Getting in the way: Overgrown shrubs can stick out and scratch people or pets, which can quickly get aggravating. It’s even worse if they’re growing out over a public sidewalk and impeding other people passing by. If they start growing up past windows, they’ll block your views and the sunlight entering the house.
Choking out other growth: If overgrown shrubs are too close to flower beds or vegetable gardens, they can overwhelm them, taking the smaller plants’ space and light.
Creating fire hazards: Overgrown shrubs can catch fire more easily and spread it farther. That’s especially problematic if shrub branches entangle with nearby trees, walls, or rooftops.
Loss of inner growth: When shrubs grow too large, they start to lose leaves and growth at their core where there’s no light. That can make it difficult for shrubs to start new growth.
If your shrubs grow very quickly, you should prune them every few weeks during their growth season to keep them shapely and healthy. But if your shrubs are already overgrown, you may need to start with a large pruning project, sometimes one that spans years, to get them back in control again.
For major shrub pruning projects, it’s best to wait until near the end of a shrub’s dormant phase and before they enter the next growth cycle. That timing varies based on species, but the best shrub-trimming time is late winter or very early spring. If your shrub is already blooming but needs trimming badly, wait until after the blooming season or when the leaves fall to begin.
Before you start trimming your overgrown shrubbery, gather the following tools:
Pruning shears
Small hand saw
Electric hedge trimmers (optional)
Trowel
Knee protection
Gloves
Garden disposal bags
When you’re ready to trim your shrubs, we recommend a sunny and dry day, as trimming damp shrubs is harder. Here’s what to do when you’re ready:
Your shrub likely has several branches, especially toward the top, that have grown much longer than the rest and interfere with your ability to get closer to the shrub. Start by pruning these back to make access easier.
Now is the best time to get a good look at the underlying shape of the shrub and determine how to prune it to encourage a pleasing shape. Continue to prune outlying stems until you are satisfied with the shape of the shrub.
If your shrub is small or has thin stems, you likely won’t need to do major renewal pruning. Instead, start with basic thinning to clear out the overgrowth and give the shrub a better shape. Focus on removing thinner stems that are rubbing against other stems. Focus on the stems that have a lack of “spurs,” which are future buds for new stems, so your shrub doesn’t end up with bare patches.
Remove any cut stems and clean access to the base of the shrub. You may need to cut back some low growth and pull some overgrown grass at this point. It’s important to have access to the primary stems growing from the ground at multiple angles if you want to start a full renewal pruning.
Many types of shrubs send out runners or ground-level roots to start new offshoots. Overgrown shrubs are prime candidates for this process.
Use your trowel and shears to excavate all the runners of the shrub and cut them away. This step will also help clear the way to the base of your shrub.
With the oldest, primary stems in sight, make a plan to remove about ⅓ of them, but no more. Again, target the stems that are rubbing against each other, and aim to space out the remaining stems equally so the shrub maintains its shape. All parts of the shrub, especially parts once hidden, should have plenty of access to sunlight. Cut these stems off close to the base of the plant. Aim for several inches above the ground, if not further down.
When you’re finished trimming your overgrown shrub, thoroughly water it. This step will help it recover from the changes and promote healthy growth of the remaining branches. If you have mulch, spread mulch around the base to help protect it.
Plants will, alas, grow. If you leave your shrubs unattended they will get overgrown, especially fast-growing varieties of hedges and bushes. Here are several steps you can take to avoid this problem in the future.
Prune often but lightly: It adds up to less work if you prune shrubs lightly every week or two (perhaps every other month for slow growing shrubs) during their growth periods. Growth is easier to manage, doesn’t require a lot of cleanup, and allows you to shape the shrub more accurately.
Remove the oldest stems at the ground: If you want shrubs to stay smaller permanently, you can start by removing about one-third of the oldest and largest shrub stems at the ground level. After a year or two, remove another ⅓ to a ½ of the oldest stems, and so on.
Replace shrubs entirely: You always have the option to replace your current shrubs if they are too frustrating to deal with. You can remove them and put in new slow-growing shrubs, or replace them with ground cover plants, berms, rocks, or decorative gravel.
Trimming shrubs or hedges is a straightforward DIY task, especially if you have an electric trimmer. With the right tools and protective clothing, all you need is a sunny day, which is why we recommend doing this project yourself if possible.
However, you have the option to hire a local tree and shrub trimming professional. Rates for this task depend on the size of your shrub-trimming project. For a very large trimming project with numerous overgrown shrubs, you can expect to pay between $450 and $1,400. However, regular trimmings every few weeks will cost less, depending on the type and size of the shrubs. Consult a local tree and shrub trimming service to determine the best course of action for dealing with your overgrown shrubbery.
Many shrubs are fast-growing, and some homeowners even prefer fast growth. Species known for fast growth include arborvitae, laurels, Forsythia, Crapemyrtle, and Vitex, among others. Note that popular shrubs tend to have several different varieties, with some varieties growing higher and faster than others. Flowering shrubs tend to grow fastest during the blooming season, and most shrubs slow down their growth or enter a dormant period during winter.
You have plenty of choices, but don’t try to force a particular shape on your shrubs or hedge plants. Follow their natural growth patterns and shape the shrubs from there. Small-leaf, close-growing shrubs work best if you want to create strict or boxy shapes. Otherwise, trim shrubs in columns, cones, circles, or vase-like shapes, depending on how they like to grow.
Shrub trimmings are not especially dangerous in most cases. Shrubs like hydrangeas and holly are mildly poisonous or irritating. Shrubs like azaleas, rhododendrons, and particularly oleander are very toxic if ingested and can kill pets or even humans. That’s why it’s a good idea to wear gloves and keep your pets inside while you are trimming and discarding the leftovers. If you aren’t sure what type of shrub you have, consult a local shrub professional.
The ⅓ rule states that you can trim one-third of a shrub’s growth off and it’ll remain healthy. That’s good news for especially overgrown shrubs that need a lot of trimming, but note that you don’t have to cut a third off every time, which could lead to problems. It’s a nice ratio if you’ve left shrubs alone for a long time and they need to be cut back as much as possible. More than a ⅓, and the shrub may not grow back or the new growth may struggle to survive. This rule may not apply to all shrubs equally.
They can be similar, especially when planted in rows. But hedges are planted close together to form a barrier, wall, or covering, and many hedges are built to intertwine over time. Shrubs are less about creating a barrier and more about filling empty spots, adding gentle contours to a landscape, or providing more shade in an area. As a result, they tend to be more spaced out and solitary, and are often allowed to grow larger.
