Junipers are some of the toughest evergreens you can grow, and they need very little pruning. The catch is that they are unforgiving of the wrong kind. Cut a juniper back to bare, brown wood and that spot will usually stay bare for good. Getting the timing and technique right is the whole job.

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The short answer: prune junipers lightly in late winter or early spring before new growth starts, with light touch-up trimming possible into early summer. Stop by August so new growth can harden before winter. Always cut back to a green side branch, never into the bare, needle-less interior, because junipers rarely sprout new growth from old wood. Avoid shearing.

The best time to prune

Time of year	Good for
Late winter to early spring, before new growth	Main pruning: shaping, shortening long branches, removing crossing branches
Late spring to midsummer	Light tip pruning to tidy the new growth
After August	Avoid: new growth may not harden off before winter (UW–Madison)
Any time	Removing dead, broken or diseased branches

The University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension notes that junipers have scale and awl-like foliage that can be tip pruned in summer, and warns against pruning them after August. Pruning in early spring, just before growth starts, means fresh growth quickly hides the cuts.

Why you can’t cut into bare wood

Look inside an older juniper and you will see a zone of bare, brown branches with no foliage. Unlike yews or many broadleaf shrubs, junipers have few dormant buds on that old wood. UW–Madison advises that junipers should not be sheared or cut back to older, non-leafy areas, because new growth would take years to cover the cut, if it ever does.

In practice, that means a juniper can be kept at a certain size, but not shrunk much. If a juniper has outgrown its space, the real fix is usually replacement with a smaller cultivar.

How to prune a juniper

Start with the dead and damaged. Remove dead, broken or diseased branches back to healthy wood or the trunk.
Find the long branches. Follow an overly long branch back inside the plant to where a younger side branch grows from it.
Cut back to that side branch. UW–Madison calls this selective pruning. The cut is hidden under the remaining foliage and the plant keeps a natural look.
Work from the bottom and inside out. Take a few branches at a time and step back often to check the shape.
Stop early. Removing a little each year is far better than a big cut every few years.

Shearing: why to avoid it

Shearing cuts every branch tip to the same outline. On a juniper, repeated shearing builds a thin green shell over a widening bare core. Eventually any cut deeper than that shell exposes brown wood. Formal, sheared shapes are possible, but only if you shear lightly and regularly from a young age, and you accept that the plant cannot later be reduced.

Spreading and groundcover junipers

Low, spreading junipers are often pruned to keep them off sidewalks and lawns. Lift the branch that overhangs and cut it back to a side branch underneath, so the cut is hidden. Do not cut a straight line along the edge; the bare stubs will show.

Upright and tree junipers

Upright forms, such as Chinese juniper cultivars and eastern red-cedar, need even less. Remove competing leaders if you want a single trunk, take out dead branches and, if needed, remove lower limbs gradually to raise the crown. The ISA’s general advice for trees, to remove no more than you need and never top a tree, applies here too.

Pruning out disease

Junipers can get tip blights and rust galls. The Clemson Extension lists Kabatina and Phomopsis tip blight and cedar-apple rust among common problems. Prune out browned tips and galls during dry weather and clean your pruners between cuts. If browning is widespread, see why junipers turn brown before you start cutting.

Give it room instead

Clemson Extension notes that proper spacing reduces or eliminates the need to prune healthy branches at all. Before planting, check the mature size on the label. A cultivar that matures at the size you want is far easier than one you have to fight every year. See how tall junipers get for typical sizes.

Tools

Sharp bypass hand pruners for most cuts.
Loppers for branches thicker than about half an inch.
A pruning saw for larger limbs on tree junipers.
Gloves and long sleeves. Some junipers, especially those with needle-like juvenile foliage, are prickly and can irritate skin.

When to call a certified arborist

For large tree junipers near buildings or power lines, or for heavy limb removal, hire a certified arborist. The ISA Find an Arborist directory lists professionals by area.

Not sure what you have? See how to identify a juniper.

Sources

Pruning Evergreens, University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension
Juniper, Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC
Pruning Mature Trees, International Society of Arboriculture, TreesAreGood.org

Top photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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