How to Shape and Shear Plants

Shaping

• 1

  Use bypass pruners to shape perennials that bloom in a single flush, such as false indigo, lavender and cushion spurge.

• 2

  Cut foliage back by about a third, creating a shape that blends in with later maturing plants in your garden.

Shearing

• 3

  Using bypass pruners, cut plants prone to legginess all the way back to the ground after they bloom. Hardy geraniums, Japanese anemone and black-eyed Susan all lend themselves well to this treatment.

• 4

  Add fresh mulch after shearing and keep plants well watered.

• 5

  Watch for new growth within a week and, in about two weeks, compact mounds of foliage, sometimes followed by a second flush of bloom.