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"  Cutting back shrubs and trees can be one of the toughest summer jobs, but it&amp;#039;s unavoidable\u2014if you neglect it, your house will be overgrown in no time. So start with the easiest jobs first. \u2014Roy Berendsohn ___ Shear yews and boxwoods to shape. By far the easiest way to do this is with an electric or gas engine hedge trimmer. Remember, though, that if you use an electric trimmer, keep the cord well away from the saw. Extension cord manufacturers have told us that cuts by hedge trimmers are the leading cause of damage to outdoor-rated extension cords. ___ Trim back tree branches that overhang the house or that touch its roof.  A branch rubbing on the roof will eventually damage it. The branch also serves as a conduit for ants and mice to enter the building.  Step 1: Start at the farthest end of the branch and remove a piece.Step 2: Take another cut, shortening the branch.Step 3: To make the final limbing cut, cut from the bottom of the branch. Then finish cutting from the top. This two-step limbing cut prevents the branch from tearing a strip of bark from the tree as it falls to the ground.  Remember, don&amp;#039;t cut the branch all the way flush to the trunk. Cut to the outside of the small ridge at the base of the branch. This is known as the branch collar, and it contains protective cells that will help heal the cut. ___ Remove and dig out overgrown shrubs.  Step 1: Use a pair of loppers to shorten branches.Step 2: Cut back the main stem of the shrub using a reciprocating saw, a bow saw or a chain saw.Step 3: If you plan to dig out and remove the root ball, you&amp;#039;ll need to dig around the tree&amp;#039;s base.Step 4: Cut through roots using a reciprocating saw. If you don&amp;#039;t own one of these tools, and you&amp;#039;ve got a lot of small trees and shrubs to remove, buy one. Renting a saw will set you back $30 to $40 a day.(Tip: It seems like a waste of money, but buy the best blades you can find\u2014those described as &amp;quot;bimetal&amp;quot; and rated for demolition to cut &amp;quot;wood and nails.&amp;quot; If you buy the less expensive blades, you&amp;#039;ll be sorry. You&amp;#039;ll end up snapping blades left and right.)Step 5: If you&amp;#039;re not going to remove the root ball, dig a shallow hole around the stem of the shrub or tree, cut the stem off just below ground level using the reciprocating saw and then rake the dirt over the severed stem. ___ Prune along or between fences.  If you&amp;#039;re unlucky enough to have a chain link fence in your yard backed by another chain link or picket fence in your neighbor&amp;#039;s yard, the odds are good that you&amp;#039;ll have saplings grow between the two. The best way to keep the saplings in check is to reach between the chain link diamonds with a curved blade pruning saw. These saws cut on the pull stroke, and you usually a couple of pulls with the saw are all you need. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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