Understanding the natural “habit” or shape of shrubs will help you determine how to prune them. All shoots grow outward from their tips. Whenever tips are removed, lower buds are stimulated to grow. Buds are located at nodes, where leaves are attached to twigs and branches. Each node produces from one to three buds, depending on shrub species.

Shrubs have mounding, cane, or tree-like growth habits. Those with mounding habits, such as evergreen azalea and spirea, generally have soft, flexible stems, small leaves, and are often used in mass plantings.

Shrubs with cane habits include forsythia and nandina. These shrubs spread by sending up erect new branches, called canes, from their base.

Tree-like shrubs have woodier, finely divided branches. Witch hazel and rhododendron are examples of shrubs with tree-like habits. Your exterior landscaping is the first thing people see, whether walking by, driving past or coming to your home to visit.  With that being said curb appeal is one of the most important things related to the exterior of your home. Even in real estate sales, curb appeal is important to lure in buyers and increase value. Thats where we come in!

An overall design goal with Bayou Turf Pro’s Schriever LA Shrub Pruning is to Increase the overall health of our clients plants.  If existing plants are too close to each other and don’t have enough room to grow, then their health will suffer. When plants aren’t as strong as they could be, then the possibility of succumbing to plant diseases and insect infestations increases.  Deciduous shrubs require maintenance pruning to keep them healthy and in scale with their surroundings. Maintenance pruning practices should begin at the time of planting, or after rejuvenation of older shrubs.