Which Plants Should You Prune in Late July?
While we believe that hot summer days are best spent enjoying the outdoor living spaces you’ve worked so hard to create, a little upkeep is needed time and time again to keep our spaces looking full of life for years to come. July is a great time to prune certain plants to stimulate growth later in the summer and next year. Here is our mid-summer pruning plants guide!
July Pruning Plants Guide
Before you get out your clippers of choice, be sure to keep in mind that many spring flowering plants are already beginning to form buds for the year ahead. If you prune them now, you will remove that new growth. So in July, our primary focus should be to do very light pruning on flowering shrubs.
This is also a great time to thin out any trees that may be starting to look overgrown. Next time you make rounds around your yard, be sure to inspect trees such as maples, oaks, flowering cherry, willows and birch. If any new shoots are beginning to look woody (or bark-covered), now would be the perfect time to prune them to the desired size. For large tree trimming or tree removal projects contact a local professional tree service company who is licensed and insured.
Special Notes
Hydrangea
Hydrangeas are unique flowers that require specific pruning practices to thrive. If you would like to alter the size of your Hydrangea bush, right now is the time. Your blooms are most likely just about fully dry by now, which is actually a beautiful sight for this flower. Even still, it’s worth doing your size control now because when August rolls around, it will be too late. Above all, be sure to never alter the size of your Hydrangeas in early spring. Doing so is a sure way to stunt their growth for the year ahead.
Hedges
Mid-summer is also the ideal time to prune hedges to the desired shape. Our best advice here is to refrain from trimming them back down to the size they used to be. Doing so will weaken the integrity of each individual shrub that makes up the hedge. Instead, allow the hedge to grow a bit in size each year. You can still trim it to look uniform, just be sure to keep the base wider than the rest of the hedge to ensure all leaves receive full sunlight.
Upgrade Your Outdoor Living Space This Summer with Excel Fencing and Decking
At Excel Fencing and Decking, we are proud to meet the needs of every customer, whether they are searching for new residential wood fencing or repairs to privacy fencing. We are a full-service fencing and decking company working throughout the greater Baltimore area and carrying top brands including Trex, Azek, Shoreline Vinyl Systems and Wolf PVC Decking. To learn more about our services, please contact us at (410) 803-9499.