While, technically speaking, you may treat broadleaf evergreen shrubs in the manner described above, there are often reasons not to treat them as you would needle-bearing evergreen shrubs.
For instance, if they are flowering shrubs, you'll want to wait until after the flowering period to prune. Otherwise, you'll miss that year's blooms.
Moreover, for evergreen shrubs (whether broadleaf or needle-bearing) that comprise hedges, you may want to prune after their new growth has emerged in spring. It is, after all, mainly the new growth that affords opportunity for shaping (assuming, of course, that you've been maintaining the hedge all along). Among needle-bearing evergreen shrubs, hemlock is a popular choice for hedges, because it's amenable to pruning.
In the next FAQ on garden shrubs, we'll discuss the matter of offering winter protection to flowering shrubs.
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