8
For more information
Contact your local Iowa State University Extension
office for additional information or copies of the
following publications.
Deciduous Shrubs, PM 1943 ($)
Growing Rhododendrons and Azaleas in Iowa, RG 704
Iowa’s Shrubs and Vines, IAN 307 ($)
Pruning Shade and Flowering Trees, PM 1304
Pruning Trees and Shrubs, SUL 5 ($)
Roses for the Home, NCR 252 ($)
Additional information also is available from these
Web sites:
ISU Extension publications—
www.extension.iastate.edu/pubs
ISU Forestry Extension—
www.ag.iastate.edu/departments/forestry/ext/ext.html
ISU Horticulture—
www.yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu
Questions also may be directed to ISU Extension
Hortline (515-294-3108), Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–
noon and 1–4:30 p.m.
If you want to learn more about horticulture through
training and volunteer work, ask your ISU Extension
office for information about the ISU Extension Master
Gardener program.
Prepared by Ann Marie VanDerZanden, extension
horticulturist, and Diane Nelson, communication
specialist. Illustrations used by permission from
Oregon State University Extension Service. Cover and
tool illustrations by Jane Lenahan, graphic designer,
Instructional Technology Center. Designed by ITC.
Conifers
For pruning purposes conifers are divided into
two types.
Scale-like Foliage and a Random Branch
Arrangement
Juniperus species, Juniper
Thuja species, Arbovitae
Conifers in this group can be pruned the same way
as flowering shrubs. Heading cuts will encourage
dense growth while thinning cuts will help maintain
the overall shape of the shrub. New branches will
only develop as a result of heading cuts if the branch
remaining still has foliage on it.
Needle-like Leaves and Whorled Branches
Abies species, Fir
Picea species, Spruce
Pinus species, Pine
This group of conifers can be
pruned by removing all or
part of the “candle” or new
growth. In spring when the
light-colored candle is still
soft, pinch it with your
fingers or prune with hand
shears. This is a type of heading cut and will produce
denser growth and maintain the overall plant size.
Don’t make thinning cuts on this type of conifer as it
may create unsightly gaps in the branching pattern.
Yews (Taxus) have an abundance of buds on both
old and new wood. New stems will develop after cut.
This group of shrubs can be sheared heavily without
permanent damage and lends itself to formal hedges.
Prune just before new growth begins in the spring.
File Hort and LA 4
… and justice for all
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender,
religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be
made available in alternative formats for ADA clients. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building,
14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914 in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Stanley R. Johnson, director, Cooperative Extension Service, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, Iowa.
Pinch to
remove
part of
the candle