Rejuvenation Pruning | Renew Your Shrubs

[@tomtwiss8506]

What a great presentation! I enjoyed every minute of it.

[@eliev7844]

Such fantastic examples of pruning. Ultra informative. Thank you so much!

[@Anonymously4051]

Thank you for this information. Excellent presentation! Your garden is so beautiful and healthy. I’ve planted many of the shrubs mentioned in the video, but even though most were labelled deer resistant they were not. The deers cut them all back hard and most didn’t survive. I have had success with ornamental grasses, the deers don’t seem to eat them. Looking forward to your next video.

[@deline8ed619]

Excellent video and insight into what rejuvenating pruning can do. Thank you for waiting to upload until you could show pictures of the results throughout a season or two. I think many people get rid of overgrown or scraggly, unpleasant looking shrubs that could have been saved by this process. Thanks and well done.

[@mayaportland8805]

Wonderful video informative. I love how you record the plants transformation and growth through out different seasons! 🎉

[@marycain7424]

Excellent, helpful information. Thank you.

[@kikumi4637]

Excellent informative video, thank you! I live in zone 6 (Ontario, Canada) and have two threadleaf cyprus that I'd like to "rejuvenate". It is approximate 3Hx3'W (10 years old) and although it's beautiful and I have been hand pruning, I would prefer a maximum height of 2ft. I'm concerned about the branches below with no foliage and if I cut back that far that it will not grow. Any words of advice?

[@gardenhike]

The Cypress are few and far between in my Zone 4, so I don’t have any “real-time” examples to share concerning rejuvenation pruning on this species. I think your concerns are justified, and I’d be careful about how much you cut back. I don’t believe the Cypress will respond to renewal pruning as well as the deciduous shrubs that I highlighted in the video.

[@kikumi4637]

@@gardenhike Many thanks for your quick reply. I think you've reinforced my thoughts exactly. I guess I'll just continue to hand prune to manage overgrowth. Keep up the great work with your videos!

[@petersedgeman417]

I was surprised to see the Hakuro Nishiki willow in your video as I had always assumed that was a closer to zone 5 plant. I have therefore avoided it here. Have you seen any issues with tip dieback or winter kill where you live? I think I'm just a tiny bit colder. Thanks.

[@gardenhike]

I know! You never know. I remember planting it, thinking it would be a sub-shrub for sure. But with how fast willows grow, I figured it would come back at least 6 feet per year. Great. I think it’s been about eight years now, two winters with temps below -40F, and still going strong. Maybe a little bit of tip die-back, but minimal. Through the years, I’ve only pruned out a few lower branches that were getting too wide for the area.

[@urchinsushi2041]

Thank-you!! My 7 limelights are around 10 yrs old, they are pretty wonky with few old canes per shrub, still beautiful flowers, debating whether to prune back hard (maybe to the ground??) or to perhaps upgrade to a different panicle hydrangea with stronger stems (quite a bit of flopping here zone 7 northern VA) and longer bloom period - any thoughts would be appreciated 😊

[@thedivide3688]

You want to take it back to more around 18 inches. Thin out the spindly branches and leave the strong branches. Do you have it growing in the right position? Are you under/over fertilizing? They are not shade hydrangeas and typically need to be in full sun. Also, improper watering could also be an issue.

[@deline8ed619]

The pruning back will help develop stronger limbs and branches. You can do a hard prune to about 18” - 24” and then cut back to 30” - 36” the next year and so on. This should strengthen those lower branches over time.

[@edensgardenshed9622]

How much do you charge for a renewal pruning? I would like to do some of these for my lawn care business.

[@gardenhike]

I charge by the hour with a minimum of $125 for the first hour and then $95/hour for each additional hour (for our frequent customers, all hours $125 for new customers). I also charge for brush disposal at $20/cubic yard. For example, I would have given a customer an estimated 1.5 -2 hours with approximately two cubic yards of brush on the five Summer Wine Ninebarks from the video. Job total = $212.50 - $260. Rejuvenation pruning is a wildcard. Many older shrubs (depending on the variety) can twist and mangle together, making branch removal difficult and loading the brush equally more labor intensive. Having enough capacity to haul the brush should also be considered; it adds up quickly. If you must make more than one trip, factor that into your bid, especially on long hauls.

[@edensgardenshed9622]

@@gardenhike awesome thanks. Yeah i charged $50 a bush on big over grown holly on a current job and it is turning into rejuvenation on some. So i am finding i under bid considerably. But i will consider it an education for now. 😜