Tree & shrub pruning in Stockholm

When should trees and shrubs be pruned?

The timing depends on the plant. Broadly speaking, deciduous trees that are to be made smaller are pruned while the sap is down, fruit trees during the JAS period from July to September, spring-flowering shrubs after flowering and summer-flowering shrubs in early spring.

Dead, broken and damaged branches are removed at any time of year. During the nesting season, in Stockholm roughly April to July, we check that there are no birds' nests in the tree or shrub before work starts: birds and their nests are protected while nesting is under way, and the pruning then has to wait unless it is urgent.

• Apple and pear: the JAS period, July to September, or late winter before the buds swell
• Plum, cherry and other stone fruit: in summer only, otherwise fungal infection enters the cuts
• Birch, maple, walnut and hornbeam: late summer and autumn – in spring they bleed heavily
• Oak, lime, pine and spruce: autumn and winter while the tree is dormant
• Spring-flowering shrubs such as lilac, forsythia and mock orange: immediately after flowering
• Summer-flowering shrubs such as buddleia, spirea and hydrangea on new wood: March to April

How much may be removed in one pruning?

At most about a fifth of the living crown per season on an established tree, and never so much that the shape of the tree is lost. A tree pruned too hard answers with a mass of water shoots, wakes up stressed and becomes more susceptible to fungi and insects. Two cautious prunings a couple of years apart give a better result than one heavy one.

Cuts are made outside the branch collar, the small ridge where the branch meets the trunk, and should be clean and leave no stubs. Topping – simply sawing off the top or all the branch ends – is never the right method: it leaves decay in the cut surfaces and a crown of weak shoots. If you want a lower or narrower tree, a crown reduction is done instead, with every branch shortened back to a side branch that takes over.

How is a long-neglected fruit tree pruned?

In stages, over two to three seasons. An apple tree that has grown freely for twenty years usually has a dense crown, branches crossing each other, water shoots going straight up and fruit only at the ends of the branches. In the first year the dead and damaged branches come out, along with the branches growing in towards the centre and a couple of the thickest competing branches, so that light and air get in. The following season the crown is shaped further and the new water shoots are cleaned out.

The aim is an open crown where light reaches the fruiting wood and where you can reach the fruit. Our pruning specialist Saxa also removes root and trunk suckers and thins the crown so the branches do not rub against each other. Older shrubs that have stopped flowering are rejuvenated on the same principle: the oldest branches are taken at ground level, around a third each year, and the shrub flowers more richly again within one to two seasons.

Branches over the roof and the neighbour's branches – what are the rules?

Branches lying on the roof, rubbing against the facade or growing towards an overhead power line are shortened back to a side branch so the tree keeps its shape. The work is done from climbing equipment or a lift depending on the height of the tree and the access on the plot, and over roofs and decking the branches are lowered on ropes rather than dropped. Close to an overhead line we contact the network owner before work starts.

Branches from your neighbour's tree that hang in over your plot may be cut back to the boundary, but under the Swedish Land Code (jordabalken, chapter 3, section 2) you must first ask the neighbour to deal with them and allow a reasonable time, and if the cutting would seriously damage the tree the neighbour's consent is needed. Trees on a housing cooperative's (BRF) land are pruned following a board decision, not on an individual member's initiative. If the tree is protected by the local development plan it is worth reading the provision before a heavy pruning, as the protection sometimes covers more than felling.

What affects the price of pruning?

The price depends on what is to be pruned and how accessible it is.

Pruning on the plot of your home qualifies for RUT deduction of up to 50% of the labour cost for private individuals, and we handle the application. Removal of the cuttings is an option that is not covered by RUT. Housing cooperatives, property companies and businesses are invoiced without RUT.

• The number of trees and shrubs and how large they are
• The height of the tree and whether the work can be done from the ground, from a ladder, with climbing equipment or from a lift
• How long ago the tree was last pruned – a neglected tree takes more work the first time
• Proximity to the house, the roof, fences, overhead power lines and the neighbour's plot
• How much brushwood there will be and whether it is to be taken away or left in a pile on the plot
• Topiary trimming of yew, box and ornamental trees takes longer than ordinary thinning

How to book pruning

Send in the form with a short description and a photo of the trees or shrubs, ideally taken so that the whole plant and its surroundings are visible. Service Plus gives you a free quote within 24 hours, and for larger trees we come out and look on site first, free of charge.

Tell us what you want to achieve: more light on the patio, more fruit, a lower crown, a shrub that flowers again or a clipped plant kept in shape. We suggest the right time for each plant – some species are best pruned a few months from now, and we then book the work for then rather than doing a poorer job today.