How to Trim a Serviceberry Tree

The serviceberry grows as tall, treelike shrub. It blooms in spring with attractive white flowers, which are followed by edible purple berries and lush green foliage in summer. A deciduous tree, the serviceberry puts on a colorful fall show of orange, yellow and crimson before going dormant for winter. It thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 2 through 9, so is suitable for most climates. Don't prune serviceberry for the first three years after planting while it establishes new growth. Begin regular pruning in the fourth spring after planting.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning saw

Instructions

1. Cut out dead and winter-damaged branches in the spring after the tree has finished flowering. Use a pruning saw to remove these branches where they join to a main branch or with the trunk.

2. Inspect the interior branches and trim out any that are crossed and rubbing together. Cut them back to their bases.

3. Prune back branches thinner than a pencil to control the height and spread of the serviceberry. Make the cuts within ¼ inch of a leaf bud to encourage branching.

4. Control the height of the larger branches beginning in the fifth year. Cut back old branches to a bud, removing up to a third of their length. Remove branches completely if they are more than 2 years old and no longer producing flower buds.

Tips & Warnings

• Serviceberries bloom on 2-year-old wood, so new branches may not produce flower buds but they don't require removal.

References

• University of Kentucky Extension; Pruning Landscape Trees; M.L. Witt, et al.;
• North Dakota State University: Juneberry or Saskatoon Serviceberry