You may have heard that pruning spruce trees in the landscape is an important way of maintaining their health, size, shape, and vigor. But this is more applicable to deciduous trees than evergreens.

Q: I need to prune an arborvitae hedge because it is too tall. I’d like to remove 3 or 4 feet off the top of these shrubs. When is the best time to prune them? A: Late winter or early spring is ...

It is so disconcerting to see a specimen tree going into decline. One of the prized oak trees in my yard appears to be declining, so I can relate to your concerns. Your description suggests that your ...

Shrubs and trees can be pruned to improve structure, maximize blooms and/or fruit production, or to remove damaged or diseased branches. Such branches should be removed as soon as possible. They ...

Garden long enough, and you’re almost guaranteed to one day encounter a nest of stinging insects while pruning or weeding. Yellowjackets and baldfaced hornets are two of the most common bugs that ...

Have you been following my repeated advice to water your trees and shrubs? So far, this fall appears to be extremely dry, so start watering now including any newly planted shrubs or trees. Stop ...

Q: I planted three spruce trees last July, and two don’t look very good this spring. Two of them have brown needles on the ends of the branches and all over the top of the tree. I watered all the ...