How to Prune Ground Cover Evergreens

Evergreen ground cover works to prevent soil erosion and provides an alternative to grass. Evergreens come in many types, with some flowering in the summer while others have full foliage year-round. One common type of evergreen ground cover is the periwinkle, or creeping myrtle. Other popular choices are the Japanese spurge and purple wintercreeper euonymus. Pruning your evergreen ground cover provides for proper shape, removes dead or injured branches, prevents the spread of disease and stimulates new growth. It also reduces the density of foliage, allowing your plants better access to sun and air.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears
• Safety glasses
• Leather gardening gloves

Instructions

1. Decide which plants need pruning. Because your landscape may involve several species of plants, the time in which you prune will vary. Ask your gardening store when your specific evergreens need pruning. Criteria for pruning include training the plants to manipulate growth and shape, maintaining their health and improving the quality of the flowers.

2. Remove all dead or broken branches with the pruning shears. Remove any that appear diseased. When cutting away branches or shoots, try to cut at the origin or down to the next strongest branch. This will help you maintain healthy, robust evergreens. If the brush is too thick, you should make thinning and training cuts to reduce the density.

3. Look at the evergreens closely to determine the branching habits. To shape your plant, keep in mind that the tip of every branch is dormant with latent buds underneath. Cutting away the dormant areas will allow your underlying buds to flourish. With your fingers, pinch off any shoots that are going away from the structure of your landscaping. The actual training you do will be according to the type of evergreen involved. Generally, if you follow the growth pattern, you should be able to determine what to prune.

4. To maintain a straight leader or trunk, remove any double leaders that are interfering with the growth of your cover. At times, the various plants may entangle. Remove the leader that is less desirable. If your evergreen ground cover is designed to follow a path, you may need to trim leaders that overflow onto that path or sidewalk.

Tips & Warnings

• Clean and oil your pruning shears. Wipe an oily cloth on the blades and sharpen them if needed using an oil stone.

• Wear protective goggles and garden gloves when you prune.

References

• About Ground Covers
• National Gardening
• West Virginia University