Pruning spring flowering shrubs at the wrong time can mean losing an entire season of blooms. In Zone 6b, shrubs like lilacs, forsythia, and azaleas should be pruned right after they finish flowering to protect next year’s buds. With proper timing and expert care, your Seacoast garden in Portsmouth, Rye, Exeter, or North Hampton can enjoy fuller, healthier blooms year after year.

Shaping an ornamental tree is one of the most rewarding things you can do in a garden, and one of the easiest things to get wrong. Here is how to approach it with confidence, patience, and the right technique for lasting results.

Most people think of pruning as a winter job, but summer is one of the most strategic times to work on your fruit trees. Here is what a Master Gardener wants you to know about timing, technique, and keeping your trees productive for years to come.

A well-timed cut in late spring or early summer can mean the difference between a garden that peaks once and one that keeps giving. Learn how to deadhead and cut back your perennials the right way for stronger, longer bloom this season.

A hedge that looks full, green, and crisply defined through summer takes more than a once-a-year shearing. It takes the right timing, the right cut, and an understanding of how each plant actually grows. Done correctly, summer hedge shaping encourages the kind of dense, layered growth that gives a property its structure and polish. Done incorrectly, it produces a wall of brown tips and thin, struggling interior wood that gets worse every season.

Pinching back your annuals and perennials in late spring is one of the simplest things you can do for a fuller, more floriferous garden all season long. Here is what Rye gardeners need to know before summer hits.

A late winter storm or a heavy April rain can leave behind broken limbs, torn bark, and structurally compromised branches that put the long-term health of your trees and shrubs at risk. Here is how to assess the damage, prioritize your response, and make the right cuts to help your plants recover.

June is one of the busiest and most important months in the garden. Knowing what to prune now, what to hold off on, and how to manage the surge of summer growth can make the difference between a landscape that thrives and one that quietly struggles through the heat.

Hydrangeas are among the most rewarding shrubs in any Seacoast garden, but they are also among the most frequently pruned at exactly the wrong moment. Understanding how each type flowers and when to make your cuts is the foundation of getting these beloved shrubs to perform at their best year after year.

Flowering dogwoods are one of the most beloved ornamental trees in Portsmouth NH, but prune them at the wrong time and you lose next year's bloom. Here is what every Portsmouth homeowner should know about pruning dogwoods the right way, right after bloom.

Deadheading roses at the right moment keeps your plants blooming all season long. Here is what every Seacoast gardener should know about timing, the correct cut, and why this one small habit makes an enormous difference in how your roses perform from June through September.

If you have noticed sunken, discolored patches on the bark of your maple or dogwood, with small orange or red pustules scattered across the dead tissue, you are likely looking at Nectria canker. It is one of the more common and underdiagnosed bark diseases in Seacoast gardens, and it spreads quietly through stressed trees before most homeowners realize anything is wrong. The pruning cut is the only tool that actually works, and timing it correctly makes all the difference.

The weeks immediately after your rhododendrons finish blooming are the most important pruning window of the entire year, and missing it by even a few weeks can cost you next season's flowers. From deadheading spent trusses to shaping for a natural silhouette and renovating overgrown specimens over multiple seasons, this guide walks Stratham homeowners through every step of post-bloom rhododendron pruning with the timing, technique, and plant biology that make the difference between a shrub that blooms reliably year after year and one that quietly underperforms.

If the lower branches of your spruce tree are weeping amber resin and turning brown from the trunk outward, Cytospora canker is likely the cause. It is one of the most common and destructive diseases affecting spruce trees on the Seacoast, and there is no spray treatment that will cure it. The only effective tool is a well-timed pruning cut made back to healthy wood before summer heat stress drives the disease deeper into the tree.

Lilacs are a classic spring shrub across the New Hampshire Seacoast, but improper pruning can easily reduce their blooms. Understanding when and how to prune helps maintain healthy plants and abundant flowers year after year. This guide explains the key dos and don’ts for caring for lilacs in Portsmouth, Rye, Exeter, and nearby Zone 6b communities.

The weeks just after bloom are one of the most valuable — and most overlooked — windows in the fruit tree calendar. Learn how post-bloom pruning, smart fruit thinning, and a few targeted cuts in late May can improve your harvest, strengthen your tree's structure, and set up a healthier, more productive season from root to canopy.

Ornamental maples bring elegance and structure to Seacoast landscapes, but improper pruning can easily stress these sensitive trees. This article explains how correct timing, gentle techniques, and an understanding of Zone 6b conditions help ornamental maples stay healthy, balanced, and beautiful across New Hampshire and Southern Maine.

Forsythia is one of the most recognizable signs of spring in Kittery, Maine — and one of the most frequently pruned at exactly the wrong time. Learn the right moment to cut, how to restore an overgrown shrub, and how to keep yours blooming generously for decades.

Bright yellow forsythia blooms are one of the first signs of spring on the Seacoast — but a full, vibrant display starts with proper pruning. Learn when and how to prune your forsythia to keep it healthy, balanced, and bursting with blooms each year. This guide shares expert timing, techniques, and care tips tailored for gardens in Portsmouth, Rye, Exeter, and beyond.

Forsythia is one of the first bright signs of spring across the New Hampshire Seacoast, but proper pruning is the key to achieving bigger, more vibrant blooms. Because forsythia flowers on old wood, timing and technique matter. This guide explains how homeowners in Portsmouth, Rye, Exeter, and nearby Zone 6b communities can prune forsythia correctly for stronger growth and more spectacular spring color.