Tree & Shrub Trimming in McHenry, IL

Pruning, Hedge Trimming, Planting & Mulching

Landscaping Pros McHenry trims and prunes trees, shrubs and hedges for homes and businesses across McHenry, IL and nearby towns. We shape overgrown hedges, thin and lift tree canopies, cut out dead and storm-broken limbs, plant new trees and shrubs, and top up mulch beds. We're licensed and insured, and every job finishes with a full clean-up.

What's Included in Tree & Shrub Care

• Tree trimming and pruning: crown thinning, raising low limbs over drives and roofs, and taking out dead, crossing or broken branches
• Hedge trimming: formal shaping for yew, arborvitae and other evergreen hedges, kept to the height you want
• Shrub pruning: flowering shrubs cut at the right point in their year, and renewal pruning for shrubs that have outgrown their spot
• Young tree pruning: light early pruning to take out damaged wood and guide a good shape
• Planting: new trees and shrubs set at the right depth, watered in and mulched
• Mulching and feeding: fresh mulch at the right depth, and fertilizing for trees and shrubs that need it

Tree Trimming and Pruning

Good pruning starts with where the cut goes. University of Illinois Extension advises cutting just outside the branch bark collar, the raised ridge of bark at the base of each branch, and leaving a smooth finish. Flush cuts against the trunk are no longer considered good practice. Extension no longer recommends painting cuts either, since studies show wound paint doesn't speed sealing or prevent decay; the one exception is oaks and elms cut in the growing season, covered below.

Most of our tree work is selective. Thinning takes out crowded and crossing branches. Crown raising lifts the lowest limbs clear of driveways, sidewalks, roofs and lawn mowers. Dead and broken wood comes out wherever we find it. Extension's guidance caps it at roughly 25% of the foliage in one season, so a badly overgrown tree is brought back gradually rather than in one hard cut. We don't top trees: Extension calls topping a very harmful pruning practice and advises against it.

Shrub and Hedge Trimming

Hedges and shrubs need different handling. A formal hedge of yew or arborvitae is sheared to a clean outline. The Morton Arboretum's advice for evergreens other than pine is to prune before spring growth starts or during the semi-dormant spell in midsummer, with shearing done in late spring or early summer as new growth begins. It also notes that selective pruning, one branch at a time, is usually better than shearing, so older hedges get both.

Flowering shrubs are trimmed around their bloom. Lilac, forsythia and the spring-flowering spireas set next year's flowers on old wood, so they're pruned straight after flowering; cut them in winter and you remove that year's flower buds. Shrubs that bloom on new wood, such as panicle hydrangea and the summer-flowering spireas, are cut back in late winter or early spring. Red-osier dogwood is renewal-pruned in winter so it keeps putting up new stems.

When to Prune in Northern Illinois

Late winter is the main pruning season here. Extension points to February and early March for deciduous trees, while they're dormant and their branch structure is easy to see. Spring comes late here: the NOAA station at McHenry puts the median last spring freeze at May 1. Pruning late in summer is best avoided, because it pushes out soft new growth that won't harden before winter.

A few trees break the pattern. Maples, birches and walnuts bleed sap when cut in early spring, so we prune them at another time of year. Dead or broken branches can come out whenever they're found, except on oaks and elms in the growing season, where the timing below applies.

Oaks and elms: Oak wilt is found in every Illinois county. The beetles that spread it are drawn to fresh pruning wounds, so the Morton Arboretum advises against pruning oaks from mid-April to mid-October. Extension gives the same April-to-October warning for elms because of Dutch elm disease. If an oak or elm has to be cut during that time, tools are sterilized between cuts and the wound is sealed straight away.

Tree and Shrub Planting and Mulching

Planting goes best when the timing and depth are right. We set new trees and shrubs at the right depth, water them in and finish with mulch. McHenry falls in zone 5b on the USDA hardiness map, meaning an average winter's coldest night drops to between -15 and -10°F, so new plants need to be hardy to at least that zone. Where a bed edges a salted drive or road, Extension lists salt-tolerant choices such as juniper, eastern red cedar, potentilla and rugosa rose.

Mulch holds moisture, evens out soil temperature and keeps weeds down, as long as it isn't overdone. Extension recommends a layer 2 to 3 inches deep, kept at least 4 inches back from the trunk. The tall "mulch volcanoes" piled against trunks hold moisture on the bark, which leads to rot, and can encourage roots that circle and girdle the tree. Where a soil test or the plant's condition shows a need, we can add a fertilizer feeding as part of the visit.

Winter and Storm Damage

Winter can be hard on evergreens. The NOAA record for the McHenry station shows about 34.5 inches of snow in a normal year, and heavy snow or ice can split branches. Extension's advice is not to shake loaded branches, since frozen wood is brittle, but to sweep snow upward gently, without standing under the branch, and let ice melt on its own. Broken wood is then pruned back cleanly before spring growth starts.

Winter burn shows as needles browning from the tips, usually worse on the more exposed side, and Extension suggests waiting about a month before cutting pine and spruce limbs that only look dead. De-icing salt spray causes similar browning on the road-facing side of evergreens. We trim out what's truly dead and leave anything that may still leaf out.

Pests Worth Watching on Local Trees

Some of what we see while trimming is worth flagging. Emerald ash borer was found in Lake in the Hills and Woodstock in 2009, so ash trees deserve a closer look. A state agriculture official told the Northwest Herald in 2023 that spongy moths have been a longstanding problem in McHenry County, with numbers that rise and fall in cycles. Bagworms build small silk bags covered in bits of the host plant, heavy feeding can kill evergreens, and picking the bags off from fall through mid-spring removes the eggs before they hatch. Box tree moth, a boxwood pest, has not been found in Illinois, according to the Morton Arboretum, and the state's 2025 forest health report lists no Illinois finds.

Power Lines and Neighbors' Trees

Branches near power lines are a job for specialists, not us. Federal safety rules keep unqualified workers at least 10 feet from overhead lines of up to 50 kV, so we don't trim near them. ComEd trims trees, branches and vines that interfere with its lines; call ComEd at 800-334-7661 if a branch is touching or close to a wire.

Branches from a neighbor's tree that hang over your yard can usually be trimmed. Illinois Legal Aid Online says you may cut them as long as the cuts don't harm the tree, and that going onto the neighbor's land without permission is likely to backfire. We'll talk it through with you before any cut near a boundary.

Trimming Only, Done Properly

We trim and prune. Felling trees and grinding stumps aren't part of our work. If a tree is dead, leaning badly or too far gone for pruning to save it, we'll tell you so and suggest you call a tree removal company. For everything we do cover around the yard, from lawns to patios, see our landscaping in McHenry page, and our lawn care service keeps the grass under your trees in shape.

Typical Tree & Shrub Care Prices

These are typical prices drawn mostly from 2026 cost guides: guides covering Crystal Lake, Huntley, Berwyn and Chicago for tree trimming and mulch, and national guides for shrubs, hedges and planting. A typical single tree comes to about $450 to $725. Your free estimate sets the actual figure for your yard.

Tree & Shrub Care FAQs

What people around town most often want to know before booking.

Still have a question?

Call (815) 827-⁠1515 and we’ll talk it through.