Right now, when the weather is nice but before your landscape plants start leafing out or actively growing quickly, is a great time to prune.

Most trees and shrubs don’t have leaves, so you can more easily see their structure. And since pruning stimulates new growth, you’ll be giving them a boost going into their spring growth spurt.

The correct tools make pruning easier and help you do a good job. There are many tools for pruning, but the following will probably suffice for most applications:

Don’t put them away wet or muddy or they likely will rust and that makes them dull. Don’t leave them out in the rain or elements. Rub them with oil every few uses to further prevent rust.

Pruning is an art. Step back frequently and check your work from all angles. Take a break and go back an hour — or even a day or two — later to finish the job with fresh eyes. It’s also smart to go slowly if you are using power tools or are on a ladder. Rushing is a sure way to have an accident.

Each plant has a preferred pruning time and method. Before tackling a pruning project, read up a bit online on how to do it. It takes a little extra time, but you’ll probably end up saving that time in doing the job more efficiently and safety.

A dull blade not only makes the work harder, but it can result in a ragged cut that will heal more slowly and invite in disease and pest infestations. As a rule of thumb, all cutting tools should be sharpened at least once a year. If you use it frequently, like with hand shears, have them sharpened two or three times a year.

Old-Fashioned, smaller hardware stores will often sharpen garden tools for you or are able to tell you who can. It usually costs between $5 and $10 to get a hand tool sharpened.

As a general rule, the time to prune most woody flowering shrubs, such as lilacs, is right after they flower. That way, they have plenty of time to develop new flower buds for next year.

With the exception of some evergreens, most shrubs do best if you allow them to assume their natural shape. This is especially true with flowering shrubs. Cutting them back hard into geometric shapes destroys their natural beauty and makes them bloom in a distorted pattern, if they bloom at all.

Studies in recent years have shown that tree and shrub cuts heal best when left without any dressing or other substances put on them.

Veronica Lorson Fowler is co-publisher of The Iowa Gardener website at theiowagardener.com.

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