Most trees and shrubs in Round Rock are best pruned in late winter, just before new spring growth starts. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension gives two big exceptions: shrubs and trees that bloom in spring should be pruned right after they flower, and oaks should not be pruned from February 1 through June 30.
This guide covers the pruning calendar plant by plant, the oak wilt rule, hedges, what a good cut looks like, and the City of Round Rock’s rule for limbs over the street.
When is the best time to prune trees and shrubs in Round Rock?
The best time to prune most trees and shrubs in Round Rock is late winter, while they are still dormant. AgriLife’s Travis County office says late winter, just before new growth emerges, is the best pruning time for many landscape plants, especially deciduous trees and most evergreens.
Pruning a dormant plant lets it put its spring growth into the shape you want. It also means you can see the branch structure clearly, without the leaves in the way.
What should be pruned when?
AgriLife’s pruning chart sorts common Central Texas plants into two seasons, plus a group of evergreens that can be trimmed anytime. Here is that chart in short form.
| Plant group | Examples from the AgriLife chart | When to prune |
|---|---|---|
| Shade trees | Ash, elm, maple, pecan, pistache, sycamore | Jan/Feb, while dormant |
| Oaks | All oaks | Not from February 1 through June 30; colder months are best |
| Summer-flowering trees | Crape myrtle, desert willow, vitex | Jan/Feb, while dormant |
| Summer-flowering shrubs | Abelia, althea, butterfly bush, Texas sage, repeat-blooming roses | Jan/Feb, while dormant |
| Spring-flowering trees | Redbud, Mexican buckeye, Texas mountain laurel | April to June, after they bloom, light trimming only |
| Spring-flowering shrubs | Azalea, forsythia, viburnum, once-blooming roses | April to June, after they bloom |
| Evergreen hedges and shrubs | Boxwood, ligustrum, photinia, wax myrtle, juniper | Anytime, to keep form and size |
You can see the full list in AgriLife’s Pruning Trees and Shrubs With a Purpose guide.
Why wait to prune spring bloomers?
Spring-blooming plants should wait because winter pruning cuts off their flower buds. AgriLife says plants that bloom in spring set those buds ahead of time, so a winter cut takes away the show. Trim a redbud, Texas mountain laurel or azalea once its flowers fade instead.
Plants with berries need a light hand too. AgriLife notes that hollies, yaupon and pyracantha make their berries on the previous year’s growth, so heavy trimming of new growth means fewer berries.
When should oaks be pruned in Round Rock?
Oaks in Round Rock should be pruned in the colder months, and never from February through June unless a limb is a hazard. The Texas A&M Forest Service says to avoid pruning or wounding oak trees from February through June, because the sap beetles that carry the oak wilt fungus are very active in late winter and early spring.
Oak wilt is serious here. The Forest Service says it is killing trees across 76 Texas counties. Red oaks can die in as little as one month after infection, and in Central Texas most of the losses come from the disease moving through connected live oak roots, an average of 75 feet per year. Round Rock is one of the cities with its own oak wilt program and a municipal forester.
Three rules keep an oak safer:
- Prune oaks in late fall or the coldest part of winter. The guidelines on TexasOakWilt.org name late fall as the best time.
- Paint every oak cut or wound right away, at any time of year. AgriLife says to do it immediately, not hours later, with a pruning sealant or latex paint.
- Remember that a mower or string trimmer can wound an oak too. The Forest Service lists both, along with storms and construction.
Late October through January is the window to get oak trimming done before February.
How should hedges and evergreen shrubs be trimmed?
Evergreen hedges like boxwood, ligustrum and photinia can be trimmed anytime to keep their size and shape. AgriLife’s one rule for hedges is to keep them wider at the base than at the top. A hedge cut top-heavy shades its own lower branches, and the bottom thins out.
For shrubs that are not formal hedges, AgriLife recommends thinning cuts: cutting a shoot back to where a side shoot attaches. The shrub ends up smaller but still looks natural, and it does not need the constant shearing a formal hedge does.
Is it ever too late in the year to trim?
Yes. AgriLife says light touch-up trimming can be done most of the year, but it is best to stop by about August. Trimming later can push out a flush of new growth that an early freeze will damage. That means fall is for planning and cleanup, and the main pruning waits for late winter, except for oaks, which are best done now.
What does a good pruning cut look like?
A good cut is made just outside the branch collar, the swollen ring where a branch joins the trunk or a bigger limb. AgriLife says not to leave a stub, which invites decay, and not to cut flush against the trunk, which makes a bigger wound. Wound paint is not needed on most trees. Oaks are the exception.
Young trees are where pruning pays off most. AgriLife says that removing crossing, rubbing and narrow V-shaped branches while a tree is young prevents much bigger cuts later. We give young yard trees a light prune and a clean mulch ring as part of our landscaping work.
How high do branches need to be over the street in Round Rock?
Branches over the area between your property line and the curb have to be trimmed to at least eight feet above street level at the curb line. That rule is in the City of Round Rock code, listed on the city’s Code Enforcement page. Over the street itself, the city can trim to 8 feet at the curb, rising to 12 feet above the center of the street.
Low limbs over a sidewalk or driveway are a common reason to call for trimming, and on an oak the timing rules above still apply.
Where do the trimmings go?
Round Rock residents can take branches and shrub trimmings to the city’s Brush Recycling Center at 310 Deepwood Drive, and up to 2 cubic yards is free with proof of residency. Our post on overgrown yard cleanups covers the drop-off rules and curbside pickup in more detail.
When should I prune crape myrtles in Round Rock?
AgriLife lists crape myrtles with the summer-flowering trees, pruned in January or February while they are dormant.
Can I prune my live oak in the spring?
No. The Texas A&M Forest Service says to avoid pruning or wounding oaks from February through June, and to paint any oak wound right away.
When should I trim my hedges?
Evergreen hedges such as boxwood and ligustrum can be trimmed anytime. AgriLife suggests stopping by about August so new growth is not hit by an early freeze.
Do you remove trees?
No. Our tree and shrub work is trimming, pruning and shaping. A removal needs a tree company.
What areas do you serve?
Round Rock and Hutto are home base. We also work in Taylor, Georgetown and Austin.
Get your trees and shrubs trimmed
If the trees and hedges at your Round Rock or Hutto home need shaping, Spellings Lawn can prune, trim and shape them. Levi Spellings owns and runs the business, and the crew cleans up before it leaves. Request a free estimate or call (512) 921-4877.