What should I know about evergreen trimming before I start?

Answer by  FluffyKitty (109)

You really should trim your evergreen so that you thin the plant and force new inner growth instead of just lopping off the tips. Pruning the outside foliage will prevent the inner branches from receiving light and they will eventually die out. Plan on a good trim every 3 years.

Answer by  Marcus8 (84)

I usually just grab my loppers so I can get inside the branches and lop off the dead stuff and then I do some thinning in the interior part of my evergreen. Once I see that some light is getting thru I go ahead and do the actual pruning outside.

Answer by  Annika5 (171)

The optimum time to trim evergreens is before new growth starts. They really can be trimmed at any time but early spring is the recommended time. Remove any dead or diseased limbs. New branch growth should be trimmed about half way back to where you can see the old growth.