Norway maple: when and how to prune

Acer platanoides

Norway maple is best pruned in July–October.

Updated on 11 October 2026

Key facts
Pruning months	July–October
Nesting season (15 March–15 August)	Take care in July–August
Flowering	April
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees
Native to Belgium	Yes, long naturalised

Norway maple: when to prune it?

In summer or early autumn (July–October), not in spring.

Bleeds a lot of sap from pruning wounds in late winter and spring. So prune in summer or early autumn, when the tree is in leaf.

What else to prune in those months? July · August · September · October

Prune mainly while young to form a good crown.
A street tree can be crown-lifted: remove the lowest branches gradually.
On the grafted mophead ‘Globosum’, remove shoots on the trunk, below the crown, straight away.

One pruning period a year: July–October.
Never remove more than about a quarter of the crown at once. Better a little every year.

Pruning in July–August can fall in the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Check carefully for nesting birds first: disturbing an active nest is against the law.
Norway maple flowers in April, when it attracts bees.
As a native plant, it feeds more insects than a non-native species.
Prunings can go on a dead hedge or brash pile in a corner of the garden: shelter for hedgehogs, wrens and insects.

Clipping without first checking for nesting birds.
Pruning in late winter or spring: the wounds then bleed heavily.
Leaving a stub or sawing flush with the trunk: cut just outside the branch collar.

Caution: Don’t prune in late winter or spring: a maple bleeds heavily then.

This guide is compiled from the Bladwijzer plant profile and pruning calendar.