Juniper Pruning

What This Service Involves

Junipers are tough, drought-tolerant evergreens well suited to sunny Northwest sites, but they have one critical rule: they will not regenerate from bare old wood. Because of this, we prune selectively into green, needled growth only, never cutting back into the dead brown interior, which would leave permanent holes. We work in late winter to early spring, thinning to reveal the plant's natural form, removing dead or winter-damaged branches, and lightly reducing size while preserving live foliage. Good interior airflow also helps reduce the fungal blights and spider mites that can trouble junipers in our climate.

Benefits

Maintains natural form without creating permanent bare spots; Preserves plant health by cutting only into live, green growth; Improves airflow to reduce blight and spider mite issues; Removes dead and winter-damaged branches; Provides gentle size control for foundation and slope plantings

Our Process

1) Prune in late winter to early spring; 2) Identify the boundary between live green growth and dead interior wood; 3) Remove dead, damaged, and diseased branches; 4) Make selective thinning and reduction cuts into green growth only; 5) Preserve natural form and clean up all debris

What Affects the Cost

Plant size and form such as spreading, upright, or ground-cover; Amount of deadwood and winter damage; Care required to avoid cutting into bare wood; Number of plants and site slope; Debris disposal

Best Time of Year

In Western Washington, prune junipers in late winter to early spring, cutting only into green growth since they will not resprout from bare old wood.