8 Steps to Overgrown Shrubs

We visit quite a few clients who have waited a bit too long to trim back their hedges. These are some simple steps to take care of them if you want to save a few bucks each year but still maintain your yard.

Steps:

1 Use loppers to remove one-third of the older stems, so sunlight can penetrate the hedge's interior. 2 Find long stems that grow out of hedge, and snip them close to the ground. 3 Where one stem branches into two, cut just above the Y-shaped split. 4 Continue cutting older stems, but leave new growth. 5 Use hand pruners to thin stems. 6 Place clippings in trash bags. 7 Next spring, apply a shrub fertilizer. 8 Next summer, repeat pruning by removing one-third of the large stems.