How To Prune A Spring Flowering Shrub
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How To Prune A Spring Flowering Shrub
If you want your spring flowering shrubs to retain their shape and bloomage, it is important to prune them, and prune them well! Gardener Stella Fear demonstrates on a Forsythia how to keep your shrubs flowering well from year to year.
Step 1: You will need
- Secateurs
- General purpose fertiliser
- A small saw
- Well rotted mulch
Step 2: Timing
The pruning of a Forsythia is best done just after it has put on its display of flowers in spring, as they bloom on the previous year's growth. Getting the timing right ensures maximum time for the new young flowers to develop and provide the basis for the following years bloomage. Be careful not to prune too late or early, as this will disrupt the plant's blooming cycle.
Step 3: Pruning
With a sharp pair of secateurs, cut back the stems that are carrying dead or fading flowers. Follow the stem down until you reach a young and healthy sideshoot. Cut just above where this grows out of the main branch.
Step 4: Removing old branches
Remove dying, dead, or damaged branches each year. Use your secateurs to remove about 25% of the oldest branches, cutting them right back to the ground. Thicker branches may be tackled with a small saw. This will both encourage new growth, and provide a more compact and aesthetically pleasing form.
Step 5: Feeding
After pruning your shrub, feed it with a handful of general purpose granular fertiliser. Cover this with a layer of well rotted mulch. This provides essential nutrients to the plant, as the newly cut branches start to grow afresh.