Advice
RHS Help & Advice
Pruning early-flowering shrubs
Early-flowering
shrubs usually flower on the previous year’s growth.
So 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.
All early-flowering shrubs need routine removal of damaged, diseased or dead wood, but otherwise individual pruning requirements vary. They may be determined by reference to their differing characteristics of growth, out-lined below, and by studying specimens of some of the examples mentioned.
Deciduous usually medium to large shrubs which naturally form a
well-branched framework.
Examples: Amelanchier,
Corylopsis, Hamamelis,
Magnolia, Syringa
(lilac).
Pruning: No
routine pruning. Remove crossing or badly-positioned shoots
in late winter (when still dormant); late summer for magnolias.
Deciduous shrubs with flowers on strong young growth,
which in succeding years become increasingly congested, woody
and less free flowering.
Examples: Flowering
currant (Ribes), Forsythia,
Philadelphus, Weigela.
Pruning: Cut
back flowered growth to strong young shoots lower down. Each
year cut out up to 20% of ageing stems to near the base.
Deciduous
shrubs producing new flowering growth from or near ground
level.
Examples: Kerria,
Neillia, Prunus triloba.
Pruning: Remove
flowered shoots back to vigorous side-shoots. Cut back one
in three to ground level (each year). Each year cut back to
near the base all the stems of Prunus triloba.
Evergreen small, medium or large shrubs, naturally
developing as balanced, often compact, specimens.
Examples: Camellia,
Mahonia (stages of pruning an established
bush illustrated), Osmanthus, Rhododendron.
Pruning: Remove
any badly positioned shoots in early spring. No regular pruning,
but dead-head camellias and rhododendrons if practical. Dead-heading plants
Evergreen shrubs flowering on numerous short shoots
during winter and early spring.
Examples: Erica
carnea, E x darleyensis.
Pruning: Cut
back flowered shoots to within 1.5-2.5cm (0.5-1in) of the
previous year's growth.
Wall-trained shrubs trained as a permanent branch
framework against a wall or fence.
Examples: Abeliophyllum,
Azara, Chaenomeles,
Chimonanthus praecox.
Pruning: Cut
back flowered shoots to two to four buds from the framework
branches.
After pruning it's a good idea to feed the plant using either Growmore or a granular rose fertiliser.