Your trees need to be pruned in autumn and winter, before spring growth starts. There are some trees though such as magnolia and walnut when it is best to prune at the end of summer as they repair better after pruning then. If you prune trees too late in winter it can be fatal or severely impact the tree’s health. 

Trees are generally low maintenance but some care and attention helps to keep them healthy and the basics of how, and when, to prune trees is fairly straight forward.

When to prune deciduous trees

If you are unsure of what tree you have in your garden, or when it is best to prune it, get in touch with a tree specialist from TRADESCOPE who will be based locally to you and would be happy to help.

When to prune fruit trees
Apple and pear trees benefit from regular pruning as unpruned fruit trees can become clogged up with old branches which can impact the quality and quantity of fruit that they produce. It is important that this is done when the tree is dormant, in November-March.

When to prune evergreens
Evergreen trees are beautiful and hardly ever need pruning but sometimes you`ll get a few dead branches and these should really be removed in the late summer.

So how do you prune trees
Before you start work find out if your tree is in a conservation area or if there is a tree preservation order in place. If there is then you need to get in touch with your local council. Once you are sure you can legally prune your tree, you need to decide if you need the help of a tree specialist.

Getting started
firstly get rid of dead shoots and then look for weak or rubbing growth and carefully remove it.

Removing branches and limbs
Removing the dying branches can mean you might need specialist equipment such as gloves, eye protection. If you remove a branch then future growth might affect the stability of the tree.