Know when to prune flowering shrubs

 Most shrubs will benefit from an annual pruning.  Pruning helps keep ornamental shrubs in shape, gets rid of dead and diseased wood, encourages healthy growth and generally promotes more blooms. Getting the most from your flowering shrubs this season depends on three things; knowing when to prune, how to prune and using the right pruning tools. Flowering shrubs can be divided into two types; spring blooming and summer blooming.

Spring blooming shrubs such as forsythia, lilac, ninebark and weigela already have this spring's flower buds in place. They're said to bloom on "old wood" because soon after flowering last season, they began to set the buds for this season's blooms. If you prune these shrubs now, you'll remove most of the flower buds. The time to prune ornamental shrubs that flower in spring and early summer, is within a month after they stop blooming. 

Summer flowering shrubs such as butterfly bush, blue-mist spirea, potentilla and hardy hibiscus can be pruned now, because they bloom on this year's growth or "new wood".  Begin by removing any broken, dead or diseased branches.

Next, use a sharp pair of bypass pruners to cut away any small crossing branches.

Make the cut just above the collar, that flair where one branch meets another.

For larger branches use a lopper.

For even more leverage, select a lopper with a ratchet design. These tools make it easy to cut through tough, thick branches.

Summer flowering hardy hibiscus and butterfly bushes do best if you cut them hard to the ground now. You can use a lopper to cut the canes.  Don't worry! They'll grow back and bloom vigorously. After you're done pruning, give your ornamental shrubs a good drink. They need it after our dry winter. Wait another month to feed your shrubs. When you do, select a fertilizer with a higher Phosphate (middle number) formula, such as 11-15-11. Pruning shrubs can be somewhat intimidating. If you have questions about pruning in general or how to prune a particular shrub, stop by our Diagnostic Center. We'll help you figure out what to do. Learning how and when to prune will keep your shrubs healthy and blooming for many seasons.