Shrub pruning for dummies

[BramblyHedge]

Hello, this is my first thread here.

The situation is that I just move to a house that has a garden (I'm so excited) and I don't know anything about gardening. Seriously, anything. But hey, I'm willing to learn!

My first concern are the shrubs on the front yard. I know I should prune them but I'm not sure of the tools I should buy. I have two types of shrubs, as you can see in the photos and i don't even know what's their name or if I need different tools for each one.

Could somebody tell me the basic tools? Maybe some recomendation about a good Youtube channel and/or book that shows how to prune them?





Thank you!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I'm lousy at plant identification, I am sure someone will tell you, but I can tell you they are not the sort of thing you 'prune' in the sense of cutting branches back. They are the sort of thing you trim to square hedges and a conical 'ornamental'. For that you want a pair of shears or a hedge trimmer. Shears are work, and hard on the elbows. Trimmers come in two types, electrical or petrol. Electrical may be mains or battery. I favour an electric battery one for ordinary household use, light, relatively quiet, and no mains cable to trip over or accidently cut through. (Yes. I have done it).
Oil your cutting blades before use each time whatever you choose. Have a good read around here, there was a whole thread discussing the pros and cons of various hedge=cutters recently. The search function isn't bad, you could try it on the plant names when you get them.
Bath is a great place to live, my daughter went to university there

 

[BramblyHedge]

Thanks for the information, I will definitely look for an electric hedge trimmer! Possibly cordless as cutting the cable sounds like exactly the kind of thing that could happen to me too.

 

[LouisFerdinand]

Pruning Boxwood into a conical shape

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I grew quite a large box bush in my last garden, and pruned it as a cube, a box.

 

[BramblyHedge]

Pruning Boxwood into a conical shape

It's one of those things that seems so easy, almost silly, and then you do it and it totally humbles you.

Thank you!

 

[BramblyHedge]

I grew quite a large box bush in my last garden, and pruned it as a cube, a box.

I also have some small bushes that are already pruned as cubes, I just have to maintain them as they are.

That gives me the opportunity of failing in different shapes!