Pruning Shrubs And Bushes - What to do to help your trees.

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How to Keep Your Shrubs and Bushes Neatly Trimmed

Well-maintained shrubs and bushes can greatly enhance the look of your yard. However, knowing when and how to prune them can be tricky, leading many homeowners to ignore this task. Neglecting pruning can harm the plant’s growth, affect nearby plants, and ruin the look of your yard.

Here’s a simple guide on when and how to prune your shrubs and bushes.

When and How to Prune

Pruning involves removing limbs, leaves, buds, and roots from plants to shape them, improve their health, and increase their size or production. Start pruning when the plant is young to avoid opening it up to infection or stunted growth from removing large limbs later.

Timing: Prune your plants any time of the year, but avoid pruning after new growth appears in the spring. Over-pruning can damage or kill your shrubs.
Dead Branches: When removing dead branches, make cuts close to the centre of the plant and look for green shoots indicating new growth. Remove cut foliage and green shoots unless they are needed to fill gaps or thicken the foliage.
Shaping: For shaping, make light, repeated cuts over a few months to train the bush to grow in a desired direction. Regular trimming of lateral branches encourages upward growth.
Encouraging Growth: Pruning older branches can encourage denser, faster growth. Some large bushes can lose up to half their foliage in spring but will grow back thicker and more vibrant by summer’s end.

Pruning Tools

Using the right tools is crucial for effective pruning. Here are some basics:

Hand Pruning Shears: Ideal for most bushes and shrubs, use anvil or scissor action shears for quick, clean cuts. If the branch is too thick, switch to larger shears to avoid damaging the plant.
Lopping Shears, Hedge Shears, and Pruning Saws: These are for larger bushes or hedges. Hedges should be trimmed as needed, and always prune from the top down, making sure the top is thicker than the bottom.

General Tips

If you’re new to pruning, start carefully. It’s better to make small, precise cuts rather than large, haphazard ones.
When in doubt, consult a gardener or a local nursery. An overgrown plant is easier to fix than a dead one.

Keeping your shrubs and bushes well-trimmed not only enhances the beauty of your yard but also promotes the health of your plants. With regular maintenance and the right techniques, your garden can look its best all year round.

Remember, less is often more when it comes to pruning. Happy gardening!

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O'Briens Tree Services Tree removal team Canberra.

Experience the O’Brien’s Tree Services today!.

Contact us now for a FREE QUOTE and let our expert team meet your tree care needs. Reach out by calling 0402 555 828 or email us anytime to discuss your requirements.

Experience the O’Brien’s Tree Services today!.

Contact us now for a FREE QUOTE and let our expert team meet your tree care needs. Reach out by calling 0402 555 828 or email us anytime to discuss your requirements.

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Testimonial

O'Briens Tree Services Canberra

5.0

Based on 31 reviews

review us on

Marie Swindale

23:04 13 May 25

The O'Brien Tree Services team were prompt and very professional. The removal of tree branches and an old hedge was complete with safety for workers and my property in mind. Thanks Marie

Response from the owner 05:10 20 May 25

Thanks so much, Marie, really glad we could help out! We always aim to get the job done safely and leave things looking neat, so it’s great to hear you were happy with how it all turned out. Appreciate you taking the time to leave a review! 😊🌳

Lydia Knuefing

02:14 09 May 25

The team did a fantastic job (taking out a couple of trees and pruning the rest). They arrived on time, worked efficiently and cleaned up afterwards.

Response from the owner 05:11 20 May 25

Thanks heaps for the kind words! Really glad you were happy with the work, we always try to leave the place looking better than we found it. Appreciate you having us out and taking the time to leave a review!

Mark Easton

04:47 07 May 25

Very happy with the service. The team were on time. Very professional. The work was completed to the expected standard and timeframe. Well done.

Response from the owner 05:11 20 May 25

Thanks so much for the feedback! Really happy to hear you were pleased with how everything went. We take pride in doing the job right and showing up when we say we will, glad it all met your expectations. Appreciate you having us out

Paul Tranter

09:01 14 Mar 25

Great work. Arrived on time. Moved garden furniture to a safe place and returned it before leaving. Brett and his team were capable as well as pleasant.

Response from the owner 05:12 20 May 25

Thanks a lot for the lovely review! We’re always happy to go the extra step to keep things safe and tidy. Glad you were happy with the team, I’ll be sure to pass it on to Brett and the crew!

Ray Pegram

00:17 12 Feb 25

Highly recommend O'Brien's Tree Services. Very professional and courteous people to do business with.Arrived on time and did a fantastic job. Very happy, thanks guys.

Response from the owner 05:12 20 May 25

Thanks so much for the kind words! Really glad you’re happy with the job, we always aim to make the whole process easy and stress-free. Appreciate the recommendation and your support!

MrkBO8

03:37 29 Jan 25

Brett and the guys removed 3 tree’s. All the proper precautions were taken, the tree’s were felled in a controlled way, restraints were used to ensure branches stayed in my yard when they fell. I was expecting it go smoothly because a site assessment was undertaken prior to the work being done. Very happy with the result. Mark

Response from the owner 05:51 30 Jan 25

Thanks very much mark. Dropping trees in a controled and safe mannor is what we do best. We are very humbled to know that you notice all of the pre-work that goes into getting a job done successfully. Site assessment is very important to us so we know everyone and thing around is safe.

Laura Jean

03:30 28 Jan 25

This is the second time we've had Brett and his team to our place for a job and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. Prompt with communication, efficient on site and they make sure they tidy up post-job.

Response from the owner 05:47 30 Jan 25

Thanks so much for the great review! Always a pleasure assisting you with any of your tree removal projects 🙂

Jane Morlin

02:16 11 Oct 24

Review of O’Briens Tree Services ACTI highly recommend O’Briens Tree Services as a highly professional and value- for-money tree removal company. They undertook the work for me in Canberra. They were extremely professional, efficient and prompt every step of the way- from first contact, inspection, quote, providing the target date and arriving on the nominated day. I had one extremely large tree approved to remove and several smaller ones. They were a hardworking team and worked safely and effectively to do all that work, as well as chipping, removal of debris and stump removal. I was amazed how much they could get done in a day and how well they did it. Not only that, but they were considerably less expensive than other quote(s). I highly recommend them to anyone needing trees removed.- Jane Morlin, resident of Canberra

Response from the owner 12:40 16 Oct 24

Thank you so much, Jane! We're thrilled to hear that you were happy with our service. It was a pleasure working on your property, and we're glad we could meet your expectations with professionalism, efficiency, and value. If you ever need any more tree care in the future, feel free to reach out. Thanks again for recommending us

Oliver Toff

05:25 24 Sep 24

O'Brien Tree Service did an incredible job cutting down a number of trees, handling stump grinding, and chipping the wood. They were quick, reliable, and provided excellent value for money. What really stood out was their attention to detail—they cleaned up everything afterward and even left the wood chips behind for me to use as mulch. No task was an issue for them, and their professionalism was top-notch. If you need tree services done right, I highly recommend O'Brien Tree Service!

Response from the owner 03:23 08 Oct 24

Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you were happy with our service and attention to detail. It was our pleasure to ensure everything was handled efficiently, from tree removal to cleanup. We're glad the wood chips will be useful for you! If you ever need tree services again, don’t hesitate to reach out. Thanks for recommending us! 🌳😊

Susan Ball

04:38 24 Jun 23

Brett and team - I just want to pass on how pleased Rob and I were with the work yesterday when u removed the very large tree in our backyard in Curtin. The team were so professional courteous, safe and cleaned up afterwards. For what has been a roller coaster of an emotional time , as we did not want to lose the tree but could not risk our our safety , your team made the whole experience so much nicer. I would recommend you to anyone who asks us! Cheers..

Leigh G

09:48 07 Jun 23

Appreciate the team's work, thanks heaps for cleaning up my tree. Great to deal with, thank you.

Sarah Barnes

10:14 02 Jun 23

The team from O’Briens Tree Service have done two large tree removal jobs for us. Both times they have been prompt and professional. I was really impressed with the huge amount of work they got completed in one day.The price was very reasonable for the size of the job.Very easy to deal with. I would give them more than 5 stars if I could.Will have them back for any future tree work and will recommend them to any family or friends looking for tree services.

Nick Evans

11:27 29 May 23

O'Briens tree services removed a large tree in my backyard. I was able to get a quote and have the work done quickly and to a high standard. They were friendly, professional and communicated well about the job. Thanks!