Heather Pruning

What This Service Involves

Heaths and heathers are beloved groundcovers in the Pacific Northwest for their year-round color and low water needs once established, but they turn woody and open if not sheared regularly. The key is to trim just below the faded flowers, never cutting into leafless old wood, which will not regenerate. Timing follows bloom: winter and spring-blooming heaths are sheared right after they finish flowering in spring, while summer-blooming heathers are trimmed in early spring before new growth. We shape lightly each year to maintain a dense, cushiony habit and vibrant foliage color.

Benefits

Keeps plants compact and prevents open, woody, leggy growth; Maintains dense foliage and vivid year-round color; Times shearing to each type's bloom to protect the display; Extends plant life through consistent light renewal; Preserves the tidy carpet effect valued in PNW gardens

Our Process

1) Determine whether the plant is a winter, spring, or summer bloomer; 2) Shear winter and spring heaths right after they finish flowering; 3) Shear summer heathers in early spring before new growth; 4) Trim just below spent flowers, staying above bare wood; 5) Remove clippings and lightly feed if needed

What Affects the Cost

Planting area and number of heather plants; Bloom type and corresponding timing; Degree of woodiness and neglect; Whether groundcover mass or individual plants; Debris cleanup

Best Time of Year

In the Northwest, shear winter and spring-blooming heaths right after flowering and trim summer-blooming heathers in early spring, always staying above bare wood.