How to Trim a Cape Coral Shrub in the Landscape

Look for evidence of blooming and growth. An appropriate time to trim a Cape Coral shrub is after the annual growth of the shrub has taken place, or after the spring. If you see lots of flowers or a general lushness, you know that the annual growth is taking place. Wait until after the peak growth period to trim the shrubs.

Cut the dead flowers off the shrubs, using landscaping shears. Open the shears and place the blades around the stems, just below the heads of the flowers. Make one cut to snip off the dead flower heads. Getting rid of the dead blooms allows room for the shrub to produce new blossoms the next year.

Trim back the shrubs so that they are less bushy and have a neater appearance. Keep the sides of the shrubs uniform and even, especially if you are trimming a row of shrubs. Be careful not to trim back too much, however. Cape Coral shrubs are used for shade, shelter and food for certain animals, as well as to protect the shores from erosion. Trimming back too much of the shrubs can result in a bare area that will take another year to grow back, so trim only 1 inch at a time.

Use hedgers to trim the hard-to-reach parts of the shrubs. Hedgers are power tools with a saw blade that slices shrubs in the landscape, making clean cuts. Power on the hedger, and aim the blade over the part of the shrub that needs trimming. Make the cut by forcing the hedger through the shrub. If you have a large trimming job to perform, hedgers can get the job done faster than shears.