Spring Pruning
Deciduous shrubs that flower in late winter, spring and early summer need annual pruning to encourage strong, healthy shoots and improve flowering. Some spring-flowering shrubs, such as philadelphus and forsythia, become straggly and untidy unless pruned every year. An unpruned plant also takes up lots of space and flowers less well than a pruned one. Early-flowering shrubs are pruned after flowering (in late winter to spring and early summer, depending on the shrub). Pruning immediately after flowering allows the maximum time for development of young growth to provide the following year’s flowers before the end of summer. Annual pruning also prolongs the life of these early-flowering shrubs.
How To Prune
Pruning such shrubs is basically deadheading on a big scale! Pruning requirements depend on the type of shrub, but all early-flowering shrubs need routine removal of damaged, diseased or dead wood, as follows:
- As soon as the flowers are over, cut back all the stems carrying dead flowers.
- Follow the stem down until you reach a young sideshoot with no dead flowers on it, and cut just above the point where it grows out of the main branch.
- Cut out any damaged or dead shoots back to their point of origin or to ground level
- Where there are many stems remove some to ground level to keep the bush open and avoid congestion
- Finally take out any weak, spindly or twiggy shoots right to the point of origin or to ground level so the plant concentrates its resources on strong new shoots that will bear the best flowers.
Do that regularly each year and your spring shrubs will stay neater, and carry a lot more flowers.
Flowering Shrubs
With vibrant blooms and lush foliage these evergreen flowering shrubs are perfect for adding colour and beauty to your garden.
