Pruning Azaleas is not difficult once you learn how to do it.

For major pruning, the best time is in early spring before the plant is ready to put out new growth, so it has the full growing season to fill out and for the new growth to mature. When pruning azaleas to reduce height, particularly older plants, it is best to do the pruning in stages, to minimize the shock to the shrubcleanup.barted Reading Time: 2 mins.

May 05, Pruning to Rejuvenate. If you are pruning an azalea in order to rejuvenate the plant because it’s become spindly or sparse, locate three to five of the largest branches on the azalea bush.

If you forget to prune, it's best to just wait until the following spring, unless you don't mind having gaps in your blooms.

Cut these branches back by a third to a half. Trim all the other branches on the plant as though you’re shaping the plant. Aug 30, When pruning an evergreen azalea immediately after its blooms have faded in spring, use a sharp pair of bypass hand pruners to cut back back stems that have outgrown the rest of the shrub and/or are spoiling the shape of the plant. Make your branch cuts at a point a couple inches or so above the main form of the plant. Apr 20, How to Prune Azaleas.

You want to prune your evergreen azaleas immediately after the blooms have faded in spring.

Start with the right equipment. “If you want to shape them in any way or reduce their size” says Curtis, “the best tool to use is a pair of hand pruners.”. Make sure they’re sharp, and sanitize them with rubbing alcohol before you start clipping spent blooms and dead or damaged branches. In most landscapes, azaleas look best when minimally pruned, allowing them to retain their naturally graceful form. Remove long stray shoots by reaching down into the plant and making cuts next to larger woody branches.

This allows sunlight and air movement in the center of the shrub, which promotes healthy new growth. Never use electric hedge trimmers when pruning azaleas; flat-topping your azaleas by trimming only the ends of branches will result in dense twiggy growth with sparse foliage.

Small hand pruners are fine for trimming pencil-width stems, but long-handled loppers are the tool of choice when cutting branches ½ inch to 1 ½ inches in shrubcleanup.barted Reading Time: 2 mins.