The 5 Best Pruning Books: Learn to Prune Like a Pro in 2024!
Pruning is one of the most essential and yet subtle skills for a gardener to master.
Because there’s more to it than cutting off branches that look diseased or dead…
…Even small mistakes can have big consequences, and you don’t want your garden to look like Charlie Brown’s tree after he goes to town on it with an ax.
So, having a good pruning book (or two) that covers the plants in your garden is essential.
- Pruning helps keep your plants looking tidy and well-groomed.
- It can also improve the health of your plants, depending on the reasons for pruning.
- And every tree and bush is pruned differently.
Keep reading to discover my picks for the best books about pruning!
Short on time? Jump to the books that interest you most:
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The best pruning book for beginners.
The Pruning Answer Book (Amazon link)
If you’re new to pruning, you’ll find yourself wondering things like:
- When’s the right time to trim my hydrangea?
- How much should I cut off?
- What’s the difference between thinning and pinching?
This book answers these questions and many more that you probably have.
And the book follows a question-and-answer format that beginning gardeners will love…
…The question is presented and then answered in an easy-to-understand way.
Which makes it perfect for gardeners who are new to trimming, shearing, and deadheading bushes, trees, and other garden plants.
- With clear instructions, detailed illustrations, and expert advice, The Pruning Answer Book (Amazon link) has all the information you need to maintain healthy plants in your garden.
- The basic pruning techniques are illustrated with easy-to-understand drawings, so you don’t mistakenly hack off any key branches.
- It includes detailed descriptions of how plants grow and respond to pruning cuts and how to care for various plants.
And it’s written in a way that beginners can easily understand but doesn’t leave out necessary details.
The book is organized by type of plant, so you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for quickly.
And since you can easily carry it with you while gardening, it makes caring for your bushes, trees, and plants that much easier.
The Pruning Answer Book (Amazon link) will have you clipping and trimming like a pro in no time!
The best pruning books to take your garden and pruning skills to the next level.
The Homeowner's Complete Tree & Shrub Handbook by Penelope O'Sullivan (Amazon link)
Do you have trees or shrubs in your yard, or want to add more?
This guide provides a detailed step-by-step process to choose the right ones and make sure they stay healthy and beautiful.
- There’s no need for a green thumb or design experience because you’ll learn how to add texture and shape to your garden with trees and shrubs.
- The book begins with an explanation of landscape design and how to choose the best plants for your garden.
- O’Sullivan helps you answer many important questions regarding plant selection and landscape design, including some you probably haven’t thought of.
- She suggests different ways to learn what’s likely to succeed in your yard and covers what you’ll need to know before making significant changes to your landscape.
And The Homeowner's Complete Tree & Shrub Handbook (Amazon link) includes more than 350 detailed plant profiles and discusses the best cultivars of deciduous shrubs, conifers, ornamental trees, and more.
Even though reference guides like this can become out-of-date because new cultivars are introduced every year, this list is an excellent starting point.
If you’re looking for help with selecting new trees and shrubs for your garden and caring for them after you get them home, this will quickly become one of your favorite gardening books!
Cass Turnbull's Guide to Pruning: What, When, Where, and How to Prune for a More Beautiful Garden by Cass Turnbull (Amazon link)
This isn’t your typical pruning guide.
There are no photos or color images, just hand-drawn illustrations.
You get thorough, practical, and sound advice on pruning techniques and what to do when.
Cass Turnbull's Guide to Pruning (Amazon link) covers 160 different species – more than many books – so you should be able to prune whatever’s growing in your yard.
The book starts with a comprehensive overview of the basics: heading cuts (non-selective and selective) and basic thinning cuts.
And the chapter on selective pruning techniques is worth the price of admission. Turnbull covers how much to prune, plant growth habits, and mature size versus ultimate size.
As you move through the book, you’ll learn that a plant’s growth habit guides how and when to prune it.
- She starts with a thorough discussion of the general growth habit of five plant types.
- She follows that with long lists of plants within each genre.
- There you’ll find specific information on how a given plant grows, how to prune it, and how it will respond.
Beginning pruners will probably want to have another book on hand that has photos showing different techniques.
But despite the lack of photos, the book will leave you enlightened, well-informed, and a lot more confident when pruning.
The Pruning Book: Completely Revised and Updated, by Lee Reich (Amazon link)
As a gardener, I know all too well how tempting it is to cut back the plants in your garden that no longer look their best.
But you may not realize just how crucial proper pruning techniques are to make sure they continue to look great!
- Every time you trim any plant, whether it’s a houseplant, shade tree, or a bonsai, it’s important to use the correct techniques.
- Author Lee Reich shares all of his secrets in this book, so you always make the right cut every time.
- And whether you’re a professional gardener, an avid green thumb, or just getting started, this book will give you everything you need to know.
The Pruning Book (Amazon link) includes all the information you need to ensure your plants are healthy, what tools to use and the best time to trim your plants.
It’s written in an easy-to-understand style and takes the mystery out of pruning, even for beginners.
It also includes many photos and diagrams to make it easier to visualize how and where to make the cuts.
If you’re looking for a reliable guide that’ll help you get through almost any pruning task, this is the perfect book for you!
The best pruning book for fruit tree growers.
How to Prune Fruit Trees, by R. Sanford Martin (Amazon link)
Want to maximize your orchard production?
You’ll need to prune your trees.
But before you pick up a hand pruner or saw, you must learn how.
Proper pruning will set you up for a bumper crop and year-round growing success – whether you grow apples, plums, pomegranates, or any of the over 40 varieties of fruit trees addressed in How to Prune Fruit Trees (Amazon link).
Inside you’ll find detailed advice and instructions with sketches showing where to prune and what to look for as you decide where to cut.
After a short description of each type of tree, you’ll find a pruning diagram.
The helpful illustrations show how to prune trees over the years to ensure a large crop and maintain good tree health.
You’ll learn how to deal with roots, side shoots, sub-laterals, standards, cordon trees, and various aspects of fruit tree maintenance.
- It also includes instructions all new growers will find helpful for developing a young tree when you first get it home from the nursery.
- You’ll learn how the initial pruning will set the stage for future fruit development.
- Near the end of the book, you’ll learn about summer vs. winter (or dormant) pruning, espalier, and more.
Small enough to carry around the orchard, this book will help you successfully trim your trees every year, and it should be a part of any library for both experienced or beginning gardeners.
If you want concise and easy-to-understand information, this book is for you!
👉 Note that this book is for U.S. growers. Some of the advice isn’t applicable outside the U.S.
A better choice would be the RHS Pruning and Training Guide (Amazon link).
Related: Find the best fruit tree books.
Share your pick for the best pruning book!
Did I miss any great pruning books?
What do YOU think is the best pruning book? Let me know in a comment below!
