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 ...

Q: I have volunteered to help our church with yard maintenance. I need to trim back all the bushes, but my concern is the blue spruce tree. It is a very nice tree, but it is growing over the parking ...

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 ...

I planted some new trees this spring. What pruning should I be doing on those trees? A few pruning cuts on those new trees can make a big difference in how they develop into mature trees. Most trees ...

There’s an old saying in pruning: “Prune until it hurts, and then prune some more.” The advice helps overcome our fear of cutting away too many branches. Other pruning adages are less useful. “When in ...

CORVALLIS — It’s the time of year when fruit trees are on the minds of beginning and experienced backyard enthusiasts. More and more homeowners are adding fruit trees to their landscape and now’s the ...

Editor’s note: Throughout the growing season, Mike Hogan, OSU Extension educator for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Franklin County, will answer gardening and home landscape questions submitted ...