What to prune

• Suckers: these are shoots that arise from the tree's roots and grow near-vertically. With some species they can bear thorns.

• Epicormic shoots: these are shoots that sprout directly from the trunk. Together, suckers and epicormic shoots  are known as basal growths. If left for too long they'll become long, thick, woody and difficult to remove, diverting energy from the tree and creating an obstacle to pedestrians and drivers.

• Torn or broken branches. Limbs that have been torn off by vans, lorries or vandals will usually be hanging by the wood fibres. They need to be carefully removed and the wound tidied up as much as possible. Broken branches should also be cut off before they fall. If they're too big, heavy or high to handle yourself report them to the council. 

• Very low branches: horizontal branches at head height or below should be cut back close to the trunk.

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When to prune

​Guidance from the Royal Horticultural Society Pruning and Training manual:

• Apples: from autumn to early spring.

• Birches: from late summer to early winter.

• Cherries: in midsummer.

• Hawthorns: from autumn to early spring.

• Horse chestnuts: minor pruning in summer, more serious work from autumn to mid-winter.

• Limes: mid-summer to mid-winter.

• London planes: from autumn to early spring.

• Magnolias: avoid pruning unless it's essential. If you have to prune, do it in midsummer if the tree flowers before the new leaves appear or at the same time. Prune in spring if the tree flowers after the leaves appear.

• Maples: minor pruning in late summer or early autumn, more serious work in winter.

• Pears: from autumn to early spring.

• Sweet gums (liquidambars): from late autumn to early spring.

• Tulip trees: from autumn to early spring.

• Whitebeams: from autumn to early spring.

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How to prune

• Make sure your tools are sharp. Blunt secateurs, saws, knives and loppers will make your job harder and leave an untidy wound (the cut area) where infection can penetrate. 

• If secateurs or loppers don't work straight away switch to a saw. Don't twist them to complete the cut.  

• Always keep the wound as small as is practical.

• If you're removing a complete branch or thick shoot angle it flush with the trunk. That way rain will glance off the wound. But stay far enough away from the bark so that your tool doesn't damage it.

• If you're removing suckers that come up through the soil or off the roots cut them at a shallow angle so that any rainwater is deflected.

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Keeping safe

• Always wear gardening gloves when you're pruning.

• Never leave your tools on the pavement where they'll create a hazard for passers-by. 

• Make sure your colleagues know what you're doing and where you're working. 

• Don't cut big limbs in one go: cut small sections instead. 

• Get a colleague to hold on to a high or heavy branch when it's almost cut away so that it doesn't crash down. 

• Cut your pruning waste into pieces and take it away in a wheelie bin or gardening waste sack.

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