How to Prune Herbs Without Cutting Away the Next Harvest
Prune an herb according to the place where it can regrow. Cut branching herbs such as basil and mint just above a healthy node, take…
Garden Guides / Pruning
Pruning Guides
Choose pruning time and cut placement by plant type, then learn how each cut changes growth, structure, flowering, and fruiting.
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A reliable first guide
Use the foundation first, then choose a narrower guide for your exact task.
How These Guides Differ
Find the guide for the job in front of you
These guides help you decide when to cut and where, because the season and the position of a cut change what a plant grows next.
Timing by plant type
Timing guides explain why a flowering shrub cut in the wrong month can skip a year of bloom, which depends on whether it sets buds on last year's wood or this year's. Tree guides cover fruit wood, an overgrown crape myrtle, and an apple tree that was cut too hard.
Deadheading
Deadheading guides show where to cut each spent flower so the next buds survive. The daffodil guide explains why leaving the leaves standing for the six weeks after bloom matters more than removing the seed pod.
Lavender and herbs
Lavender and rosemary do not regrow from bare wood, so these guides set how deep each cut can go. The herb guide covers basil, mint, parsley, and chives.
- How Deep Can You Cut a Spent Lavender Spike?
- When Should You Cut Lavender, and Where on the Stem?
- French Lavender Pruning Depends on the Plant and Season
- How Do You Prune Spanish Lavender for a Second Flush?
- Take a Fifth of a Rosemary, and Never the Bare Wood
- How to Prune Herbs Without Cutting Away the Next Harvest
Houseplants and tomatoes
The houseplant guide explains why cutting back a leggy plant does not fix the low light that caused it. The tomato guide sorts side shoots by growth habit and support.
Where to start
- Start with Pruning Timing Is a Growth Decision, Not a Calendar. It explains how a plant responds to a cut in each season, so the plant-specific guides make sense.
Pruning Library
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Pruning Timing Is a Growth Decision, Not a Calendar
Most pruning advice arrives as a calendar, which works until you own a plant that is not on the list.
Take a Fifth of a Rosemary, and Never the Bare Wood
Two numbers decide most of what happens to a rosemary bush. The first is 20 percent, which is the share of growth Wisconsin…
When Should You Cut Lavender, and Where on the Stem?
Cutting lavender to use is a different job from pruning it, and both are decided by eye rather than by a date.
When Should You Prune Flowering Shrubs for More Blooms?
A shrub loaded with flowers one year and bare the next was almost always cut in the wrong month.
When to Start Pruning Tomato Plants and Which Shoots to Keep
Tomato pruning starts with the plant's growth habit and the way it is supported.
Plant response
Three decisions that shape the result
1
Name the objective
Remove a hazard, improve structure, or renew growth with a clear reason for each cut.
2
Confirm the timing
Check whether the plant flowers on old wood, new wood, or both.
3
Inspect after the cut
Watch bud growth and branch balance before scheduling more pruning.
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