How to Trim Juniper Shrubs

New Growth on a Juniper Bush

Junipers are evergreen members of the cypress family. They're easy-to-care for bushes whose berries are used in cooking, to flavor gin and for medicinal purposes. Junipers grow year-round, are drought and pest resistant, and tolerate pruning well. The leaves range in color from green to silvery gray. A juniper shrub's natural form is hardy and attractive, so heavy pruning isn't normally needed. Prune the bush if the plant is overgrown or branches are damaged or dead.

Things You'll Need

• Loppers, a saw or pruning shears
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Pinch back or snip green shoots that spread out from the bush before they become woody. This will promote branching and help reduce the need for drastic pruning. Pinch back shoots anytime during the year except late summer, when the bush needs the new growth.

2. Use a sharp tool like a lopper, saw or pruning shears to prune away dead and damaged limbs throughout the year. Make clean cuts at a 45-degree angle to the trunk of the bush.

3. Cut branches just above the ring of bumpy tissue known as a branch collar. This area has an abundance of cells, and the bush will have an easier time recovering from the pruning.

4. Prune overgrown juniper in stages, starting in late summer. Progressively remove overly long or misshapen branches. Do not remove more than 25 percent of the bush at one time. Finish shaping the bush in the spring.

5. Avoid cutting beyond the last green on a branch. Branches pruned beyond the green probably won't grow back.

6. Stimulate growth on aggressively pruned bushes with an organic fertilizer in late fall through early spring.

References

• Pruning Basics
• Why and When to Prune
• Pruning Ornamental Shrubs

Resources

• Medicinal Uses for Juniper
• Juniper Questions