The Complete Guide

Seacoast Shrub Pruning Library

Plant-by-plant pruning guides organized by the biological clock that governs every cut

Every shrub in your landscape operates on one of four pruning systems. Old-wood deciduous shrubs set buds the previous summer — prune at the wrong time and you erase next spring. New-wood bloomers flower on current growth — hard March cutting increases their performance. Broadleaf evergreens follow old-wood bloom timing while maintaining year-round foliage that demands airflow and disease awareness. Needled evergreens live or die by their regeneration biology — some resprout from bare wood, others never recover. Find your plant below.

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Arborvitae
Barberry
Beautyberry
Boxwood
Burning Bush
Butterfly Bush
Deutzia
Forsythia
Holly
Hydrangea
Juniper
Kerria
Leucothoe
Mock Orange
Mt. Laurel
Ninebark
Pieris
Privet
Smokebush
Spirea
Sumac
Viburnum
Weigela
Yew
1
Old-Wood Deciduous Bloomers

These deciduous shrubs flower on stems grown the previous season. Prune only after flowering fades — typically late May through June. Fall, winter, or early spring pruning removes next year's buds.

Forsythia
Forsythia × intermedia
One of the earliest spring bloomers — renewal pruning right after the yellow flush fades keeps canes young and flowering strong.
Old Wood Prune After Bloom
Deutzia
Deutzia spp.
Architectural training and cane hierarchy — building the fountain silhouette one renewal cut at a time.
Old Wood Structural Training
Weigela
Weigela florida
Fountain-form architecture and the post-bloom window that preserves trumpet flowers on arching canes.
Old Wood Prune After Bloom
Viburnum
Viburnum spp.
Four species, one timing rule — and the three-week post-bloom window that determines next spring's display.
Old Wood
Lilac
Syringa vulgaris
The most time-sensitive pruning window in the garden — miss it by a month and you lose next spring's bloom entirely.
Old Wood
Azalea
Rhododendron spp.
Bud set happens fast after bloom — the narrow pruning window that keeps azaleas flowering year after year.
Old Wood
Rhododendron
Rhododendron spp.
Deadheading and light shaping after bloom — keeping large-leaved rhododendrons open and vigorous.
Old Wood
Mock Orange
Philadelphus coronarius
Fragrant white bloom on arching stems — renewal timing for the most intensely perfumed shrub in the garden.
Old Wood
Mountain Laurel
Kalmia latifolia
Deadheading after bloom redirects energy — keeping this native evergreen-bloomer dense and healthy.
Old Wood
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2
New-Wood Deciduous Bloomers

These deciduous shrubs flower or develop their best foliage color on current-season growth. Prune hard in late winter (March) before growth begins — aggressive cutting stimulates vigorous shoots that bloom or color the same season.

Hydrangea
Hydrangea spp.
Species-specific timing that separates the old-wood types from the new — and why getting it wrong means a season without bloom.
New Wood Species-Specific
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
Pruning for pigment — annual renewal that keeps burgundy dark, gold bright, and green reversions in check.
New Wood Color Management
Burning Bush
Euonymus alatus
Maintaining a banned invasive responsibly — and the three-year transition plan to native alternatives with better color.
New Wood Invasive / Transition
Butterfly Bush
Buddleja davidii
Hard March cutback for maximum summer bloom — and the invasive question that follows this plant everywhere.
New Wood
Smokebush
Cotinus coggygria
Stooling for foliage color versus allowing the airy inflorescence — two approaches, one plant.
New Wood
Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Hard annual cutback for the most vivid purple berry display in the fall garden.
New Wood
Sumac
Rhus spp.
Colony management and sucker control on a native that spreads by design.
New Wood
Barberry
Berberis thunbergii
Another banned invasive — maintenance while it's in the ground and the native alternatives that replace it.
New Wood Invasive / Transition
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3
Broadleaf Evergreens

Year-round foliage on plants with flat leaves rather than needles. Most bloom on old wood like their deciduous cousins, but airflow management, disease prevention, and winter protection add layers that deciduous shrubs don't require.

Holly
Ilex spp.
Three plants, three pruning systems — Inkberry renewal for wet sites, Japanese as boxwood substitute, American for winter berries.
Broadleaf Evergreen Type-Specific
Arborvitae
Thuja occidentalis
The most over-sheared hedge plant in New England — restoration pruning and size control without brown deadwood exposure.
Broadleaf Evergreen Hedge / Restoration
Boxwood
Buxus spp.
Restoration from decades of tight shearing — and why airflow is the first defense against boxwood blight.
Broadleaf Evergreen
Pieris
Pieris japonica
Density management and airflow control — reducing lace bug habitat while preserving cascading spring bloom chains.
Broadleaf Evergreen
Mountain Laurel
Kalmia latifolia
Wind, salt, and coastal stress adaptation on a native broadleaf evergreen that demands patience over force.
Broadleaf Evergreen
Rhododendron
Rhododendron spp.
Deadheading and light shaping after bloom — keeping large-leaved rhododendrons open and vigorous.
Broadleaf Evergreen
Yew
Taxus spp.
The most forgiving evergreen for hard renovation — and the shearing schedule that keeps it dense without deadwood.
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leucothoe
Leucothoe fontanesiana
Arching broadleaf evergreen for shade — renewal pruning to prevent the leggy cascade.
Broadleaf Evergreen

Not Sure Where to Start?

If you can't identify your shrub, don't know whether it blooms on old or new wood, or just need an experienced set of eyes on an overgrown foundation — that's what the consultation is for.

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