Now that your garden tools are sharpened, cleaned, and ready, it's time to prune. Roses are pruned differently from fruit trees; fruit trees are pruned differently from shrubs and shade trees, and then there are vines, brambles, and hedges.

There are four primary objectives for pruning: improving appearance, directing growth, maintaining health, and increasing yields of fruit or flowers. A fellow master gardener once said to me, "Pruning is for humans, thinning is for plants." The more I garden, the more I understand this statement. Shrubs and trees in the wild do fine without the human touch. Pruning is done by Mother Nature with wind, fire, and other forces of her touch.

The basic needs of ornamental shrubs and shade trees are routine thinning of dead, damaged, or diseased wood, branches that cross and rub against each other, and suckers. This type of pruning does not stimulate excessive new top growth or change the natural appearance or growth habit. On the other hand, as humans we like things pleasing to the eye and prune to open up a canopy, encourage dense growth, or to attain a formal appearance. In the worst case scenario, continual pruning to keep a plant in bounds usually means that a plant was placed in an area too small for it. Knowing the growth pattern of a plant (the shape and mature size) will ensure planting the right plant in the right place and aid in training the plant towards its natural form.

Quirky, interesting form and character is what gives our native plants their beauty. For example, Texas rangers naturally grow loose forms-wild and rangy and bloom on new year's growth. Assaulting it by shearing it into hedges and balls weakens it, reduces the flower display, and ultimately takes away its dignity. A better approach to pruning rangers is to thin out older, woody branches to channel growth back into the plant and selectively pinching back stems at various lengths to encourage lush growth while keeping it's natural, beautiful form.

Pruning in the right season is important. Flowering plants do so on either new or old growth. Knowing which sort of growth your plant bears flowers will determine when to prune. Spring flowering plants bloom on last season's growth (lilacs and redbuds for instance) and should be pruned after flowering. Growth made after flowering will produce next year's buds. Summer and fall blooming plants (such as butterfly bush and crepe myrtle) flower on current season's growth and should be pruned during the dormant season without sacrifice to next year's blooms. Some plants bloom repeatedly (including roses, butterfly bush and verbena) and can be lightly pruned (often called deadheading) after each flush of bloom to encourage more flowers. Evergreens are usually pruned during the dormant season. Pruning is both an art and a skill.

Through trial and error I have found that the best approach to beautifully shaped flora is research, research, research, attending pruning demonstrations, and practice, practice, practice.